Search

This paper discusses how the William G. Squires Library conducted a usability study on their LibGuides to identify student design preferences. The results of the study support previous research concerning best practices for LibGuide creation. This paper offers insight into how librarian-centric design hinders student success and provides suggestions for how to best develop a student-centric template design that offers consistency and increased user proficiency across all guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to primarily investigate among faculty the reasons for non use of library services and resources at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the category of non users and also how to improve usage. The study adopts a descriptive survey design. Fifty-six (56) out of 1018 faculty respondents were identified as non users and this formed the basis of the study. Data was mainly collected by questionnaire. The information sources respondents mostly used included their own textbooks; Internet; electronic journals and ebooks etc. Reasons adduced for non use of library services included: no time to visit the library; no need for the library; the library is uninviting; buy my own books; and difficulty to find books in the library. It was recommended that to stem the tide of non use, the academic libraries must reinvent themselves and create room for user driven services and resources, redesign floor spaces, bridge communication gap between the library and prospective users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper reports on a study of e-books issues in academic libraries in two European countries representative of small language markets -- Sweden and Lithuania. Method. Questionnaire surveys, using the same instrument, were carried out in Swedish and Lithuanian academic libraries. Analysis. Quantitative analysis was performed using the descriptive statistics capability of SurveyMonkey. Results. The survey's results reveal some interesting similarities and differences in the two countries. Business models for e-book acquisition in both countries show similarities -- the most popular additional model is purchase for perpetual ownership. One significant difference is that some of the Lithuanian academic librarians appear to have less direct knowledge of e-book acquisition, relying upon the Lithuanian Research Library Consortium to effect licence agreements with publishers and aggregators. Another significant difference is that academic libraries in Lithuania have a higher degree of access to e-books in the national language than is the case in Sweden. Conclusion. The findings show that the factors driving adoption of e-books, is composed of somewhat different elements in the two countries. Swedish librarians regard the need to keep up with technology and access and availability as the two main forces driving adoption of e-books in academic libraries. Lithuanian librarians see economics as the mainfactor, together with technology and demand from students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Building on the theoretical proposals of Kevin Guthrie and others concerning the transition from print books to e-books in academic and health sciences libraries, this paper presents data collected using the MINES for Libraries® e-resource survey methodology. Approximately 6,000 e-book uses were analyzed from a sample of e-resource usage at thirteen academic and health sciences research libraries between July 2009 and June 2013. The authors report on findings about e-book usage and propose explanations regarding how the adoption path from print books to e-books differs from the growth in use of e-journals and the associated decline in print journals usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]