Thesis (M.S.)--Oslo University College. / Title from PDF cover (viewed on Aug. 7, 2008). Includes bibliographical reference (leaves 99-105)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Connecticut, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 293-309).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern Mississippi, 1989. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-105).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Connecticut, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 293-309).

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / Amongst university libraries e-books are gaining wider interest since the introduction of portable electronic reading devices and software-based readers. With the growing electronic environment within universities, a need for competent and knowledgeable librarians has come to the forefront of information seeking and use. The research question addressed in this study is to what extent are e-books being used among academic librarians in their work environment? The purpose of this study was to investigate the usage of e-books amongst academic librarians; in particular which e-books are available to academic librarians, why they choose this format, what impact e-books have on librarians’ professional practice and what the usage patterns of ebooks are amongst academic librarians. The methodology used to collect the data is survey research. An electronic questionnaire was distributed on the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) mailing list. The population sample for this study was the subject and reference librarians at South African university libraries who all subscribe to the LIASA mailing list. A user study is the theory that frames this research. The purpose of the user study was to obtain an overview of users’ habits, preferences, and conventions when interacting with in this case, ebooks in a work environment. The majority of user studies concerns clients of the library such as students or academics and how they search for information or what they want from a library service. This particular study is different. The academic librarians are the users in this instance and their use of e-books in their professional work the focus of the study. The results revealed that academic librarians (48% of respondents) would often select the e-book version before print materials if available within their institutions. The results reflect more a gradual trend towards e-book uptake. There is still a preference for print or a “bit of both” – print and electronic. This is because of the high costs of e-books using the subscription model as the predominant e-book acquisition model and the lack of sufficient e-books in all subject fields. Ebooks are used for “browsing for information” and are selected for functionalities such as having the ability to search the document, anytime access and automatic citation. Major problems identified with e-books are (1) the cost of the equipment to read e-book formats, (2) the cost of the e-books especially if the subscription purchasing model is used, (3) the reliability of the internet and (4) the lack of training in how to use e-books. The study concludes by making recommendations for further research.

In this study a Q-sort was used to measure differences in academic and public librarian attitudes toward computers, desktop publishing systems and expert systems. Fifty-two academic and sixty-two public librarians responded. The responses were sorted into groups based on the type of library and whether or not the respondent followed the stated Q-sort distribution.

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study used a qualitative case study method to explore the position of a subject librarian in a large academic library in the United States using the subject librarians at Brigham Young University as the case. In the first phase of the study, all Brigham Young University subject librarians were given the opportunity to participate in a semi-structured interview. Subject librarians considered their main purpose to be connecting the people at the university with library resources. Their duties of collection development, reference, instruction, liaison, citizenship, professional development, and scholarship are interrelated and work together in important ways. Subject librarians are satisfied with their jobs and corresponding autonomy. They are concerned about librarian stereotypes and want to overcome the ignorance about their positions. They agree that subject knowledge is important but do not agree on a formal degree standard. In the next phase of the study, one faculty member was interviewed for each participating subject librarian. Faculty members defined a subject librarian as someone who knows their subject and has library training. Faculty members valued librarian competence over any specific degree or training and did not care what status librarians held. Faculty members considered the primary duties of a subject librarian as helping faculty members purchase materials and helping faculty and students find and use the library's resources. Faculty members interviewed were pleased with and grateful for the services they received from subject librarians. This study can be used by libraries to help with the subject librarian hiring process, showing that the focus should be on people skills and connection with others and not on degree and status. The study can also help craft a subject librarian program, encouraging subject librarians to focus on faculty members' understanding and priorities.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

To determine the in-service needs of teacher-librarians, personal interviews were conducted in thirty six schools selected by random sampling technique from schools in the Liverpool education region. In this survey research, teacher-librarians in these schools were asked to indicate courses they felt they needed to attend, preferred learning method and to discuss aspects of their work in schools. Results showed that teacher-librarians with more extensive library training felt the need for extra skills in curriculum/teaching areas, those with basic training only wanted more librarianship skills, whilst a number employed in non-government primary schools wanted to learn more about management. The most experienced group of teacher-librarians wanted courses that provided more skills in librarianship; those with the highest qualifications had demands for in-service that were comparable to those of the lesser trained. A significant feature of the findings was the extent of isolation felt by teacherlibrarians, especially those working in small primary schools. Primary and secondary teacher-librarians felt that their needs were quite different, but this was not borne out by results of the survey. Recommendations for future in-service courses were listed.