Digital Commons Network^™

Open Access To Legal Resources In South Africa: The Benefits And Challenges, Siviwe Bangani

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

It is a constitutional right of all South Africans to have access to information held by the state or any other person especially if the information is required to protect a right (South Africa 1996). With this right comes the obligation on the state to ensure that whatever information it has in its possession, and can be reasonably shared, is distributed widely, openly, freely and fairly to the citizenry. Since the adoption of the Constitution in 1996, the Internet’s reach in South Africa has increased significantly. The Internet has therefore become an attractive platform to distribute legal information. The South …

Assessing The Role And Position Of The Online Public Access Catalogue (Opac) At Sam Jonah Library, University Of Cape Coast., Eugene Baah Yeboah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examines the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) at the Head Library of the University of Cape Coast as an information seeking tool. The study aimed to find out the role the OPAC at the library plays in the information seeking pursuits of students and their general awareness and impressions about the facility. The descriptive survey design was used as the methodology with the population of the study totaling 1000. A simple random sampling of 110 students was chosen to represent the population. Results indicated the role the OPAC plays in facilitating access to information resources and publicizing same …

Impact Of Social Media On Ghanaian High School Students, Frankie Asare-Donkoh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Many high school students in Ghana have access to social media using several devices with internet connectivity including Ipads, mobile phones, laptops, tablets and others. Some parents and educationists believe social media has negative impact on students. They argue that social media makes students incapable of making independent and critical analysis of issues and events. Notwithstanding this, other parents, educationists and students applaud the positive impact of social media on learning and social cohesion. The findings of this study reveal that social media has positive impact on the academic and social life of Ghanaian senior high school students.

Accessibility And Types Of Online Sources Cited In Scholarly Biomedical Journal In Iran, Shahram Sedghi, Masoud Roudbari Prof, Maryam Haseli, Iman Tahamtan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

One type of frequently used references in scientific papers is online references. The aim of this study is to study the prevalence, accessibility and types of online sources in biomedical journals in Iran from 2010 to 2012. We analyzed online references cited in 401 articles from 21 scientific journals indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Findings revealed that only 73 papers (18.2%) had cited online sources in their references. of 186 online citations, 72 (38.7%) citations were accessible, and the URLs to 114 citations did not work (61.3%). The majority of unreachable citations were unstable citations (32.3%). Most …

Contemporary Trends Of Information Seeking Behaviour Of Research Scholars Of Gujarat University: A Case Study, Dharmendra Trivedi, Atul Bhatt Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study inspects the Information needs and seeking behavior of research scholars of Gujarat University in Social science and Linguistics disciplines. Sample constituted the population of total 80 research scholars from social science and linguistic disciplines. The study conducted through survey methodology with questionnaire developed basis on the core compounds of information seeking behaviour and collected the research data from the registered research scholars of Gujarat University. The results revealed that female little dominated in research work and the major purpose of seeking behaviour is for research work, knowledge enrichment and writing research and conference papers. Research scholars desired to …

Influence Of Electronic Information Resources Utilization On Academic Performance Of Hnd Students In Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Justice Nnamdi Okorie

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated the influence of Electronic Information Resources utilization on academic performance of HND students of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. The research was descriptive in design and adopted the quantitative survey method using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The population of the study was 385 students which comprised 202 students in HND 1 and 183 in HND 2 in the Department of Library and Information Science. The entire population was used for the study due to the manageable size. The data was analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the HND students used Electronic Information …

Growth Of Scientific Publications: An Analysis Of Top Ten Countries, B Elango

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The aim of this study is to examine the growth of scientific publications of top ten most productive countries during the period 1996 – 2015. The data was obtained from the SCOPUS database. Compound Annual Growth Rate and Relative Growth Index have been employed. The study reveals the growth pattern of top ten countries during the period 1996-2015 and shows the research concentrations in major disciplines. China registered highest growth during the period 1996-2015 and only India registered higher growth from 1996-2005 to 2006-2015. Further, there is a contrast in the pattern of growth rate of top ten countries in …

Challenging The Internet, The Predator Of Libraries, Sandip Das, Shiv Shakti Ghosh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The internet with its growing wings is slowly shadowing the library. It is true that the internet has brought a revolutionary change in the way information is dealt with, but the internet has also brought some perils with it. Throughout the ages, libraries have been considered as the bank of knowledge. But nowadays this faith has been challenged quite unreasonably. The evil side of the internet has manifested itself in the form of fake, false, manufactured news and information. At this juncture, it is important to burst the myth of the internet as the sole distinguished source of information and …

Journal Of Information Science: A Bibliometric Analysis, Rushmanasab Gurikar, Gururaj S. Hadagali Assistant Professor, Renuka S. Mulimani Senior Research Fellow

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study analyses the Journal of Information Science for the time frame 2005 to 2014. The data for the study was retrieved from the official website of the journal. The analysis of the publications was done using various parameters such as authorship pattern, Degree of Collaboration, Collaborative index, Collaborative Coefficient, Country wise share of total publications. The findings of the study include the highest number of contributions to the journal were from UK (16.35%) followed by USA (13.57%). The values of Collaborative Coefficient (CC), Collaborative Index and Degree of Collaboration (DC) indicated that the authorship trend is shifting towards …

Impact Of Internet In Academic Efficiency Of Students Among Engineering Graduates, Rama Subramanian, Vinitha Krishnan, Thirumagal A

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In the modern digital world, Internet service play a crucial role in enriching new trends among young graduates. Internet have empowered new technology to young learners to progress their academic work. It is very essential to measure the impact of internet service among engineering graduates which paved the way for higher studies and employment. Digital era may oblige to learn everything in their routine life with new techniques. In this study, questionnaire is structured and issued to 180 engineering graduates around 3 colleges in Tirunelveli district. Out of 180, 164 responded and get collected. After analyzing , we came to …

Indian Journal Of Agricultural Library And Information Services: A Bibliometric Study (2008-2016), Bhanu Partap

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study is based on the bibliometric analysis of 161 articles published in 09 volumes (24-32) of 18 issues of Indian Journal of Agricultural Library and Information Services (IJALIS) for the period of nine years (2008-2016). This article brings out the results of a bibliometric study carried on all the issues of the source journal (IJALIS) on various parameters such as authorship pattern, gender wise distribution of papers, length of papers, average number of references, volume & issue wise average papers, geographical distribution of articles, range of reference cited and most prolific authors of the journal. The study finds …

Work Load, Librarians Output And Satisfaction In Select Academic Institutions In South – South Zone, Nigeria, Kathryn James Philip, Ekemini S. Effiong

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

This paper notes that workers in a bid to be productive in order to actualise oganisational goals, become overloaded with tasks. This naturally leads to feeling pressure which can result in stress feelings of not being satisfied with the job situation workers find themselves in. These are issues discussed in relation to library staff in six universities in three states in South – South region of Nigeria. Questionnaire was instrument used for data gathering and administered to 102 academic librarians working in the universities under study. Mean, Standard Deviation and t-tests were statistical tools used for analysing the data. …

Library As A Change Agent: Examining The Roles Of Library In Private Higher Institutions Of Learning In South West Nigeria, Omorodion Okuonghae

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated library as a change agent: the invaluable roles of library in private higher institutions of learning in South-west, Nigeria. The study was aimed at identifying the emerging roles of libraries; investigate the ways the emerging roles in libraries have influenced the higher institutions and examine the technological change the library has brought to the higher institutions of learning. The descriptive survey method was used for the study, the population of the study is 32 respondents from higher institutions of learning in South-west, Nigeria. The researcher adopted the entire population as the sample size for this study using …

Improving Libraries Visibility And Web Presence Using Bluecloud: A Practical Approach, Iram Zehra Mirza, Hakim Rashid Maqbool

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries everywhere are excited about the possibilities created by open web accessibility, accomplished through BLUEcloud Visibility. With this leap understandably come expectations about what libraries will see from this momentous change. The goal of this research work is to bring forth a visibility solution which offers catalogue discoverability easy through the use of linked data. Observed facts reveal the transition from MARC to BIBFRAME, their implementation, precedence set for libraries from their adoption, outcomes and difference linked data is making in libraries open web visibility.

The Role Of Institutional Repositories In Making Lost Or Hidden Cultures Accessible, A Study Across Four African University Libraries, Andrew Watson Malekani, George Kavishe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was undertaken to uncover the potential role that Institutional Repositories (IR) can offer to preserve in the long term the special collections (especially cultural heritage materials) so as to reap the advantages that these collections offer in terms of intellectual development in Africa.

The study involved use of scoping review which involves five stages: research question, identifying the relevant study, selecting the study, developing a narrative review (charting data), summarizing (collating) data and an optional consultation step. The study also involved a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) involving participants in the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme at the University …

Readership Count And Its Association With Citation: A Case Study Of Mendeley Reference Manager Software, S Ravikumar, Dohtdong Basbunlang Ms

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study was carried out to find out the association between Mendeley readership count and citation pattern for scholarly articles. This study was carried out with the most prolific authors of 2014 from the four subject domain “Clinical medicine, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Neuroscience” and around 4886 papers was identified and studied their Mendeley readership count and citation count. It was found that the articles of the most prolific authors in the above subject have a strong positive correlation between Mendeley readership count and citation; ρ value is .715**. The linear relationship for individual subjects was between .626** to …

An Assessment Of Preservation Activities In School Libraries, Okonkwo Ebubechukwu, Evangeline Nwankwo Mrs, Adeyemi Emmanuel Tosin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The necessity of preservation activities in libraries cannot be over emphasized. Without preservation, no informative, educative, and historical materials of yester years cannot be made available for today’s development. Libraries will not be in existence, serving their clientele, if their collections are not preserved. This research tries to evaluate the strength and weakness of preservation activities in school libraries, using Federal Government Academy, suleja as a case study. The investigation shows factors that cause deterioration of materials in school libraries, and it also tries to proffer solution via recommendation; and how the effects of these agents can be brought to …

Open Access Movement: Reception And Acceptance By Academic Libraries In Developing Countries, Roseline Bawack, Prudence Nkolo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT The open access movement in its diverse forms constitutes the most interesting and promising model for the research output of an academic library or university. Even though the growth of OA presents some challenging hurdles to academic libraries, there are a number of notable benefits that are good enough to boost this movement. OA has come for good and is rapidly gaining impetus with an increasing number of academic institutions accepting and adopting open access policies and mandates for their research, publishing and dissemination. The purpose of this study is to discuss the situation of open access in academic …

Scholarly Communication Via Institutional Repositories: A Ghanaian Perspective, Ebenezer Martin-Yeboah Mr., Anankyela Anaba Alemna Prof., Emannuel Adjei Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

ABSTRACT

Institutional repositories have emerged as a reliable platform for showcasing intellectual outputs of academic institutions due to their inherent benefits. Despite the embrace of this concept, issues of their sustainability have come up as a result of the attrition of some repositories, especially in developing countries giving rise to the call to ascertain the significant issues regarding how repositories are set up and managed in the Ghanaian context. This study, using the comparative case study design, guided by the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, assesses how institutional repositories are created and sustainably managed for use by the academic communities of …

Ranking Of Indian Corporate Medical Institutions And Their Performance, Manoj Mishra "Dr.", Susama Nanda, Dola Babu Ramesh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The performance index (P-index) is an interesting parameter to calculate the individual strength among the teaching hospitals. There is the determination of the Indian corporate Medical Institutions to establish themselves in both academic, patient care and research field. Healthcare, teaching and research are basic components of research activities in healthcare sector. This study highlights the research growth, comparative growth, collaboration of researchers and ranking of the teaching hospitals according to P-index.

Survey Status Of Providing Virtual Reference Services In Academic Libraries Of Tehran Universities Of Medical Sciences, Faridokht Salahshoori, Seyed Javad Ghazi Mirsaeed, Somayeh Ghaffari Heshajin

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Aim and background: Advent internet and related technologies have changed the way academic libraries provide reference services. One of the new ways providing services is virtual reference services. This study is conducted with the aim of determining the current status of providing virtual references services in college libraries of five medical science universities of Tehran.

Materials and methods: this is an applied research, which was carried out through a survey descriptive. Data was gathered using a researcher- developed questionnaire that was answered by 31 library managers of five medical science universities of Tehran. We used SPSS software version 16 …

A Comparative Study On The Marketing Status Of Library Services In Iran: A Case Study, Ali Biranvand, Saeed Ghaffari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to conduct a comparative study on the marketing status of library services of libraries in Qom Payame Noor University (PNU) and Qom University (QU) based on the 7P model in 2018.

Methodology: This research is an applied, a cross-sectional and comparative study. The population of this research includes 77 senior students studying “library science” in QU and Qom PNU. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire which was designed based on the capabilities of the studied libraries and its validity was confirmed by five professors and experts. Reliability of the questionnaire was …

Information Technology And The Future Of Librarianship, Emmanuel Omeiza Momoh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

There is a growing concern by scholars in the field of library and Information science on the way technology is gradually taking over certain jobs performed by librarians and Information professionals. This may be the reason why many of the scholars have submitted that the discipline of librarianship may cease to exist in a couple of years if nothing is done to solve the problem.

In the light of this, this article seeks to identify ways in which technology has taken over certain aspects of the field of librarianship with the aim of proffering solutions and identifying other means in …

The Role Of Libraries And Librarians In Open Educational Resources In Tanzania: The Case Of Selected Public University Libraries, Chausiku Mtumwa Mwinyimbegu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper examined the Role of Libraries and Librarians in Open Educational Resources (OER) in selected public university libraries in Tanzania. Specifically, the study sought to find out the level of OER awareness among librarians and the role played by libraries and librarians in OER in Tanzania. The study also identified challenges encountered by librarians in promoting access and use of OER. Fifty two librarians of different ranks and academic qualifications from four public university libraries participated in this study. These were selected using simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected through a self administered questionnaire and documentary review. Data …

Social Media And Digital Natives, Rose Ojohwoh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the level of awareness of digital natives of social media platforms and associated issues with digital natives’ viz-a-viz social media platforms. The study adopted the survey method. The population consist of 716 fresh undergraduate students of department of electrical/electronic of three selected Universities in the South-South region of Nigeria namely Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun covering Edo/Delta; University of Port Harcourt covering Rivers/Bayelsa and University of Uyo covering Cross River/Akwa-Ibom States. The study further adopted a sample size of 251 respondents from the population through the use of the National Statistical Service Size Calculator of Australia. …

International Coalition Of Library Consortia (Icolc): Exploring The Diversity And Strength Of Participating Library Consortia, Arshia Ayoub, Sumeera Amin, Zahid Ashraf Wani Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In this era of Cyberage, the information needs of the users have grown so enormously that no individual library can fulfill their information needs on its own. This has urged the need for cooperation between libraries and information centers for sharing of available resources and information through networking. Thus consortia are considered as a vital move towards library cooperation. A library consortium combines the purchasing power of its members and reduces the repetitive, laborious process of acquiring resources from each member. In a short span of time, numerous consortia have been formed all over the globe. As more and more …

A 10-Year Bibliometric Study Of Pakistan Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Midrar Ullah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose

This study aims to carry out a bibliometric evaluation of articles published in Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PJPS) from 2006 to 2015. Bibliometric study determines publication pattern and identifies research trends in a field.

Design/Methodology/Approach

All articles published in PJPS during ten years were analysed using MS Excel.

Results

A total of 951 authors contributed 1172 articles to PJPS from 2006 to 2015. Eighty-six percent authors contributed only one article each. M. Saeed Arayne and Najma Sultana were the leading principal authors with 18 and 10 articles respectively. Ninety-seven percent articles were written by more than one author. …

The Status Of School Libraries In Migori County, Kenya, Cary Francis Ouma, Joel Nakitare

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Whereas there is a general appreciation of libraries' role in educational performance and literacy development among learners, the status of school libraries still needs to improve. The struggle to secure a workable school library policy in Kenya is far from won. This study investigated the status of school libraries in Migori County by analyzing available resources and giving a framework for their development. Data was collected using questionnaires and Interviews in schools drawn from all the eight sub-counties in the county. The data was analyzed thematically based on parameters that define successful school libraries to arrive at study conclusions. They …

Why To Choose Librarian As A Profession? Exploring Career-Choice Motivation Among Library Science Students In Tamil Nadu, Govindarajan R, Dhanavandan S

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Background:

The demands for professional librarians are changing every day. In Indian scenario, the Librarians used to work in government, academic and research institutions. This study aims to investigate about to explore the career choice motivation among library and information science students in Tamil Nadu.

Methodology:

The study design is cross-sectional and convenience sampling method is adopted. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 18 PASW Statistical package was used for statistical analysis. Frequencies, percentages, t- test, ANOVA test were used in the study.

Findings:

A total of 277 students from six universities in Tamil Nadu, India were …

Debut Online Library Registration At The Federal University Of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, Patrons’ Opinions Survey And The Good News, Olufunmilayo I. Fati

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introducing a self-service online library registration to a higher educational institution presents an opportunity for technology adoption evaluation, which may be useful to other institutions. This paper presents the experience of the deployment of online library registration built on koha library management software (KLMS), to ‘Nimbe Adedipe Library, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. The system was built on Koha Circulation module and before it was commissioned, it was presented to three categories of prospective users for observations. Firstly, to the members of library’s automation department’s staff, then to the library management which also includes the Readers’ Services Librarian, and …