Electronic Resource Management and Usage in Academic Libraries: The Ghanaian Context

<p>Electronic resources (ERs) in academic libraries have become a global phenomenon, and as libraries rely more on these resources managing them effectively becomes crucial. Electronic resource management (ERM) has consequently become a core function which many academic libraries around the globe appear to find challenging to implement effectively. Challenges of managing ERs are particularly pronounced in developing countries such as Ghana where the introduction of ICTs has typically been characterised by inadequate resources. Although there is an extensive literature on both the management and use of ERs, little research has studied how the two aspects could affect each other. Ineffective management of ERs could negatively affect their use; likewise, low usage of ERs could negatively impact on the management of these resources. Studying the concepts of management and usage of ERs together would result in better recommendations to inform practice and eliminate the challenges. In addition, the literature on the management of ERs is predominantly centred around libraries in the developed country context. Moreover, academic libraries in Ghana do not appear to be effective in managing ERs. There is a lack of understanding on how academic libraries in Ghana are managing ERs, and the ways in which this is affecting their usage and vice-versa. The study therefore fills the gaps by exploring the connection between the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in a developing country context. Placed within a post-positivist worldview, this mixed-methods research employed a multiple case study approach, involving two public and two private universities in Ghana. Stakeholders included in the study were library staff, faculty, students, and consortium executives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with library staff and members of the governing council of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) concurrently with surveys of faculty and postgraduate students of the institutions investigated. These were supported by document analysis. To guide data collection and analysis, the Techniques for Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) framework (Emery & Stone, 2013), and an initial conceptual model of factors developed using constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis 2003) and the literature underpinned the study. The interview findings revealed inadequate planning for ERs in the case institutions owing to operational challenges including inadequate policies for ERs, inadequate funding, and understaffing. Although efforts were being made to follow standard procedures some components of ER workflow were absent in both public and private case libraries, whereas other aspects of the workflow were responsibilities of parties external to the libraries. The document analysis showed that, the total average completeness of collection development policies of case libraries was 25% which indicated the lack of vital elements in these policies. The survey findings showed a generally low awareness and usage of ERs by faculty and students due to inadequate promotional efforts by the case libraries, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of relevant content. Consequently, respondents had a negative perception on the usefulness of the ERs which may have caused the observed low usage. The study also found three main factors as affecting the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in Ghana which were governmental, organisational and individual factors. Governmental factors such as regulations on staffing, inadequate funding, and nationwide rationing of electricity supply were hindrances. At the organisational level, an enabler was collaboration with stakeholders, whereas obstacles included inadequate policies, staffing challenges, resource-related factors, lack of investment for sustainability, centralised management structure, low institutional commitment, poor communication, and low usage of ERs. Enabling individual factors consisted of religious beliefs, social influence, oral information, and interest in IT. Hindering individual factors comprised negative effects of oral information, resistance to change, fear of speaking against authority, reluctance to submit contents to institutional repository, negative perception on the ERs and lack of time. The findings also established various ways in which the management and usage of ERs affected each other. Low user input in the selection of ERs, access related challenges, inadequate publicity, training, and evaluation of ERs negatively affected the usage of ERs. However, case libraries that occasionally allowed users to schedule training sessions observed increased attendance to training with a corresponding increase in ER usage, which provided a basis for institutional budgetary support. On the other hand, failure of users to attend training programmes after signing up, low referral of students to the ERs by faculty and low usage of ERs of the library negatively affected ERM particularly in the areas of budgeting for ER subscription and sustainability. However, faculty and students facilitated the management of ERs of the library in terms of creating awareness of the ERs among their colleagues and peers, and also accessing the resources using mobile devices to supplement the library’s inadequate computers. The TERMS framework and initial conceptual model of factors were revised based on the findings. The study adds to the Library and Information Science research relevant to the understanding of the management and usage of ERs, factors affecting both concepts and how these two concepts are related. In addition, the study contributes to practice by recommending strategies for effective ERM to encourage increased usage of ERs. It is also hoped that academic libraries in other developing countries can draw lessons from the findings. The study also provides advanced countries with a deeper insight to guide them in providing support to developing countries. The findings also have implications for policy and decision makers in terms of prioritisation and allocation of resources for effective ERM and usage in academic libraries as contemporary issues are revealed. Keywords: Academic institutions, Academic libraries, Electronic resources, Electronic resources in Africa, Electronic resource management, Electronic resource usage</p>

Electronic Resource Management and Usage in Academic Libraries: The Ghanaian Context

<p>Electronic resources (ERs) in academic libraries have become a global phenomenon, and as libraries rely more on these resources managing them effectively becomes crucial. Electronic resource management (ERM) has consequently become a core function which many academic libraries around the globe appear to find challenging to implement effectively. Challenges of managing ERs are particularly pronounced in developing countries such as Ghana where the introduction of ICTs has typically been characterised by inadequate resources. Although there is an extensive literature on both the management and use of ERs, little research has studied how the two aspects could affect each other. Ineffective management of ERs could negatively affect their use; likewise, low usage of ERs could negatively impact on the management of these resources. Studying the concepts of management and usage of ERs together would result in better recommendations to inform practice and eliminate the challenges. In addition, the literature on the management of ERs is predominantly centred around libraries in the developed country context. Moreover, academic libraries in Ghana do not appear to be effective in managing ERs. There is a lack of understanding on how academic libraries in Ghana are managing ERs, and the ways in which this is affecting their usage and vice-versa. The study therefore fills the gaps by exploring the connection between the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in a developing country context. Placed within a post-positivist worldview, this mixed-methods research employed a multiple case study approach, involving two public and two private universities in Ghana. Stakeholders included in the study were library staff, faculty, students, and consortium executives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with library staff and members of the governing council of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) concurrently with surveys of faculty and postgraduate students of the institutions investigated. These were supported by document analysis. To guide data collection and analysis, the Techniques for Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) framework (Emery & Stone, 2013), and an initial conceptual model of factors developed using constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis 2003) and the literature underpinned the study. The interview findings revealed inadequate planning for ERs in the case institutions owing to operational challenges including inadequate policies for ERs, inadequate funding, and understaffing. Although efforts were being made to follow standard procedures some components of ER workflow were absent in both public and private case libraries, whereas other aspects of the workflow were responsibilities of parties external to the libraries. The document analysis showed that, the total average completeness of collection development policies of case libraries was 25% which indicated the lack of vital elements in these policies. The survey findings showed a generally low awareness and usage of ERs by faculty and students due to inadequate promotional efforts by the case libraries, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of relevant content. Consequently, respondents had a negative perception on the usefulness of the ERs which may have caused the observed low usage. The study also found three main factors as affecting the management and usage of ERs in academic libraries in Ghana which were governmental, organisational and individual factors. Governmental factors such as regulations on staffing, inadequate funding, and nationwide rationing of electricity supply were hindrances. At the organisational level, an enabler was collaboration with stakeholders, whereas obstacles included inadequate policies, staffing challenges, resource-related factors, lack of investment for sustainability, centralised management structure, low institutional commitment, poor communication, and low usage of ERs. Enabling individual factors consisted of religious beliefs, social influence, oral information, and interest in IT. Hindering individual factors comprised negative effects of oral information, resistance to change, fear of speaking against authority, reluctance to submit contents to institutional repository, negative perception on the ERs and lack of time. The findings also established various ways in which the management and usage of ERs affected each other. Low user input in the selection of ERs, access related challenges, inadequate publicity, training, and evaluation of ERs negatively affected the usage of ERs. However, case libraries that occasionally allowed users to schedule training sessions observed increased attendance to training with a corresponding increase in ER usage, which provided a basis for institutional budgetary support. On the other hand, failure of users to attend training programmes after signing up, low referral of students to the ERs by faculty and low usage of ERs of the library negatively affected ERM particularly in the areas of budgeting for ER subscription and sustainability. However, faculty and students facilitated the management of ERs of the library in terms of creating awareness of the ERs among their colleagues and peers, and also accessing the resources using mobile devices to supplement the library’s inadequate computers. The TERMS framework and initial conceptual model of factors were revised based on the findings. The study adds to the Library and Information Science research relevant to the understanding of the management and usage of ERs, factors affecting both concepts and how these two concepts are related. In addition, the study contributes to practice by recommending strategies for effective ERM to encourage increased usage of ERs. It is also hoped that academic libraries in other developing countries can draw lessons from the findings. The study also provides advanced countries with a deeper insight to guide them in providing support to developing countries. The findings also have implications for policy and decision makers in terms of prioritisation and allocation of resources for effective ERM and usage in academic libraries as contemporary issues are revealed. Keywords: Academic institutions, Academic libraries, Electronic resources, Electronic resources in Africa, Electronic resource management, Electronic resource usage</p>

Padjadjaran University Library Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The early onset of covid-19 in 2020 causes a complete shutdown of all activities including those of services in the library to avoid direct contact with users in order to prevent the spread of this covid-19 virus. The purpose of this study is to fulfill the tasks that teachers have given you and to find out what innovations the unpad library has made to serve students or other users in spite of this covid-19 pandemic. The study USES descriptive qualitative methods on concepts related to library science, as well as to analyze the practices used in libraries during the pandemic. Data obtained through interviews conducted by researchers by sending some questions through the email of the unpad central library staff. The data already obtained will be presented in a descriptive form, so it will outline the importance of providing online library services by applying digital predating concepts. By subscribing to multiple journals and e-book databases, information-related services are still needed to support student and lecturer research, in this case libraries can engage in inter-library cooperation. During the pandemic, a university library service was required to transform from manual services into digital services.Keywords: Library, Covid-19 Pandemic, Information CommunicationABSTRAKCovid-19 di awal tahun 2020 menyebabkan berhentinya seluruh aktivitas termasuk dengan layanan yang ada di perpustakaan. Hal tesebut dilakukan untuk menghindari kontak langsung dengan pengguna supaya dapat mencegah penyebaran virus Covid19 ini. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk memenuhi tugas yang telah diberikan dosen serta untuk mengetahui inovasi apa yang dilakukan oleh perpustakaan Universitas Padjadjaran dalam melayani pengguna dalam masa pandemi Covid-19 ini. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif mengenai konsep-konsep yang berkaitan dengan ilmu perpustakaan, serta untuk menganalisis praktik yang digunakan perpustakaan selama pandemi. Data diperoleh melalui hasil wawancara yang telah dilaksanakan oleh peneliti dengan mengirimkan beberapa pertanyaan melalui e-mail staf perpustakaan pusat Universitas Padjadjaran. Data yang telah diperoleh akan disajikan dalam bentuk deskriptif

How Perspectives of a System Change Based on Exposure to Positive or Negative Evidence

The system that shapes a problem can be represented using a map, in which relevant constructs are listed as nodes, and salient interrelationships are provided as directed edges which track the direction of causation. Such representations are particularly useful to address complex problems which are multi-factorial and may involve structures such as loops, in contrast with simple problems which may have a clear root cause and a short chain of causes-and-effects. Although students are often evaluated based on either simple problems or simplified situations (e.g., true/false, multiple choice), they need systems thinking skills to eventually deal with complex, open-ended problems in their professional lives. A starting point is thus to construct a representation of the problem space, such as a causal map, and then to identify and contrast solutions by navigating this map. The initial step of abstracting a system into a map is challenging for students: unlike seasoned experts, they lack a detailed understanding of the application domain, and hence struggle in capturing its key concepts and interrelationships. Case libraries can remedy this disadvantage, as they can transfer the knowledge of experts to novices. However, the content of the cases can impact the perspectives of students. For example, their understanding of a system (as reflected in a map) may differ when they are exposed to case studies depicting successful or failed interventions in a system. Previous studies have abundantly documented that cases can support students, using a variety of metrics such as test scores. In the present study, we examine the ways in which the representation of a system (captured as a causal map) changes as a function of exposure to certain types of evidence. Our experiments across three cohorts at two institutions show that providing students with cases tends to broaden their coverage of the problem space, but the knowledge afforded by the cases is integrated in the students’ maps differently depending on the type of case, as well as the cohort of students.

How Success Versus Failure Cases Support Knowledge Construction in Collaborative Problem-Solving

Theorists suggest that collaboration is a key aspect in online, inquiry-based learning. However, research finds that meaningful interaction is challenging, and learners struggle to sustain interaction. One way to scaffold collaborative problem-solving is through case libraries; however, few studies have explored how the type of experience depicted in a case library (success and failure) catalyzes learning. To address this gap, this study explored how the presence of success versus failure case libraries supports learning in terms of understanding of the problem space, conceptual space, knowledge construction convergence, and social network interaction. Results found no differences between conditions when discussing the problem space. However, results found that the failure group outperformed the success condition in terms of conceptual space, knowledge construction convergence, and social network interaction. As it relates to scaffolding using case-based reasoning theory and failure-driven memory theory, the failure cases helped to scaffold learners understanding of the broader conceptual space, knowledge construction, and learner–learner interaction. Additional implications for inquiry-based learning and scaffolding using case-based reasoning theory and failure-driven memory theory are provided.

Assessment of the walking accessibility of public libraries in Krakow using the E2SFCA approach

Public libraries play an important role for local neighbourhoods as they function as community hubs. In an ideal case libraries would be located in such a way that a high level of equity in access to them is ensured. This study examines whether or not this equity of access is provided in the case of Krakow where the network of public libraries has recently been reorganised. Besides other methods of measuring accessibility the authors utilise the enhanced two-step floating catchment area approach in order to uncover spatial differences in potential accessibility on foot. Findings from the analyses indicate that, with the exception of the central districts of Krakow, every district is faced with an accumulation of more or less neglected areas. In addition, the work highlights that almost one quarter of Krakow’s population is affected by poor accessibility on foot (more than 20 minutes walk) to the nearest library. The study concludes that the variations in access to libraries presented should be considered by local planners in future phases of the planning of new libraries.

Public library planning: a routine practice?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study whether organisations, in this case libraries, continue to plan after having done so at least once, and whether they conduct planning on a routine basis. Design/methodology/approach The websites of 71 libraries, that in 2006 had a strategic or long-term plan, were analysed to determine whether in 2016 they had a new plan in place. Where there was none or where the name of the plan had changed, e-mails were sent to the head librarian to ascertain the reasons. Findings A total of 71.83 per cent of the libraries in the sample had a new plan underway in October 2016, i.e., ten years later. A significant rise (+8.03 per cent) in the number of three-year plans was observed relative to 2006, perhaps because the crisis and resulting uncertainty have induced libraries to narrow their decision-making windows. A preference for the term “strategic plan”: over “long-range plan” was also detected in 2016. Originality/value The study provides empirical evidence of the existence of routine planning. The continuity of plans in a series of libraries shows that in practice planning is a systematic, continuous and iterative activity, as contended in planning theory.