The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between selected basic library skills and the use of the library by freshman community college students, and to determine or evaluate the extent to which the use of the library by such students is related to or influenced by the level of their library skills. The population utilized in this study was the total enrollment of freshman students beginning their second semester of study at two typical Texas rural community colleges, namely Cooke County College at Gainesville, Texas, and Grayson County College at Sherman, Texas. Data regarding library skills were obtained through the use of a standardized test instrument, A Library Orientation Test for College Freshmen. Data regarding library use, relevant demographic traits, and selected control variables (age, sex, hours worked, self-perceived library skills, school attended, a measure of intelligence, marital status, and major course of study) were obtained through the use of a specially prepared questionnaire instrument. Through the use of generalized scattergrams with both present study and pilot study data a possible simple linear relationship was found to obtain between library skills and library use in both instances. Bivariate Spearman correlations were then computed for all variables considered in the present study. Those variables showing a strength greater than 0.10 were "promoted" to Pearson correlation values and utilized as input for a multiple linear regression analysis. A conjectural model was constructed from the output of the multiple linear regression analysis which suggested that, if the direction of influence is ignored, the relative importance of the variables utilized in this procedure would be, from most important to least important, tested library skills, hours worked other than attending school, age, and self-perceived library skills.

Magister Commercii - MCom / In virtually any field of endeavour today, access to information is a prerequisite for success. Library services are affected by financial considerations and staffing problems. This work evaluated library performance with the aim of improving service management. Its targets are UWC, and others such as the Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The application of selected service management techniques and measures used in business will be explored. The study also touched on transformation and change management. / South Africa

<p>In virtually any field of endeavour today, access to information is a prerequisite for success. Library services are affected by financial considerations and staffing problems. This work evaluated library performance with the aim of improving service management. Its targets are UWC, and others such as the Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The application of selected service management techniques and measures used in business will be explored. The study also touched on transformation and change management.</p>

<p>In virtually any field of endeavour today, access to information is a prerequisite for success. Libraries form the repositories with user-friendliness their mission. This has lead to the need for new ways to evaluate library performance. Astute library managers will plan for such developments, taking into account current and future trends that impact on library services. Library services are also affected, for example, by financial considerations and staffing problems. Further complicating matters are the demands of their clients who have developed increased expectations of improved service, and also a desire for more self-service opportunities. Such changes raise the question: &ldquo / to what extent can libraries apply business performance management techniques to assess their performance.&rdquo / This, then, is the research question for this study.</p> <p><br /> This work will evaluate library performance with the aim of improving service management. Its targets are the UWC library, and others, such as the Stellenbosch University, and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The application of selected service management techniques and measures used in business will be explored. These techniques include The Balanced Scorecard, critical success factors and service quality. The study also touches on transformation and change management. An obvious source of information about library management is the corps of managers. The secondary source of information is the community of library users.</p>

M. Tech. Business Information Systems / In this day and age, technology keeps advancing thereby enabling electronic libraries to be one of the most useful sources of information. Traditional, physical libraries are, however, still in existence and one would wonder what the impact of online library is on physical libraries. In this research, the impact of electronic libraries on physical libraries in a South African university is evaluated. The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of electronic libraries on physical libraries. The goal of the study was to conceptualize a framework for understanding the impact of Electronic library on Physical library which was accomplished by finding out whether the number of physical library users had increased or decreased in terms of the usage of the physical library in the past five years, what challenges are being faced by physical libraries due to the availability of electronic libraries and finally by evaluating the impact of electronic libraries on physical libraries.

An evaluation was conducted on a credit-bearing module that has recently become compulsory for second year students in four of the six schools in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. The module was based on a course that has been run for Agriculture students since the 1980s. The module "Information Retrieval Skills" (Agri220) is run over a two week period at the beginning of the first semester and covers the library computer catalogue, OPAC and other retrieval tools such as print-based abstracts and indexes, SABINET Online and the CD-ROM databases in the library. The study sought to determine students' perceptions of the Agri220 module, to determine whether the outcomes as described in the Agri220 module template were evident in students, and to determine the use students made of the library. The method that was used in the evaluation was summative, and thus conducted after students had completed the module. Furthermore to find out their views about the contribution of the module to their studies, the study focused on students who had done the module over a year previously. The respondents were students in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness as these were the students for whom the module was compulsory in 1999. A survey was done of five third year classes , which consisted of both third and fourth year students, and questionnaires were distributed and completed in the classes. Students were very positive in their feedback about the module and reported becoming more efficient in their use of the library. They were largely familiar with the interlibrary loan service and OPAC but were aware to a lesser extent of the print-based abstracts and indexes in the library. The study found that students predominantly used books and to a lesser extent journals. Electronic retrieval formats were popular. The students who supplemented their notes with extra readings relied on reserved material and reading lists. Students made suggestions about changes to the module: such as extending the length of the module, bringing it forward to first year, and teaching the module in smaller groups. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

<p>In virtually any field of endeavour today, access to information is a prerequisite for success. Libraries form the repositories with user-friendliness their mission. This has lead to the need for new ways to evaluate library performance. Astute library managers will plan for such developments, taking into account current and future trends that impact on library services. Library services are also affected, for example, by financial considerations and staffing problems. Further complicating matters are the demands of their clients who have developed increased expectations of improved service, and also a desire for more self-service opportunities. Such changes raise the question: &ldquo / to what extent can libraries apply business performance management techniques to assess their performance.&rdquo / This, then, is the research question for this study.</p> <p><br /> This work will evaluate library performance with the aim of improving service management. Its targets are the UWC library, and others, such as the Stellenbosch University, and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The application of selected service management techniques and measures used in business will be explored. These techniques include The Balanced Scorecard, critical success factors and service quality. The study also touches on transformation and change management. An obvious source of information about library management is the corps of managers. The secondary source of information is the community of library users.</p>

<p>In virtually any field of endeavour today, access to information is a prerequisite for success. Library services are affected by financial considerations and staffing problems. This work evaluated library performance with the aim of improving service management. Its targets are UWC, and others such as the Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The application of selected service management techniques and measures used in business will be explored. The study also touched on transformation and change management.</p>

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2004. / The study defined customer care as an activity that allows customers to make direct contact with an organization to pass comments on products and their use. It also observed customer care as a customer service that seeks to acquire new customers, provide superior customer satisfaction, and build customer loyalty. The aim of the study was to investigate customer care strategies and services in academic libraries in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. Two research assumptions were made. Firstly, it is assumed that academic libraries in South Africa do not have operational customer care strategies and services in place. Secondly, there is a relationship between poor information use and customer service and lack of customer care strategies and services in academic libraries in tertiary institutions. The study targeted 401 respondents, 307 students and 79 academic staff as well as 15 library staff. The study applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches and the population targeted was sampled by the use of stratified random sampling techniques. Three hundred and eighty six (386) questionnaires were distributed to both academics and students while interviews were conducted with the library management or unit and committee responsible for customer care. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data from academic staff and students. This software was selected because it is a user friendly data management and analysis package that can perform a variety of data analysis tests and presentation functions. Additionally, Microsoft Excel was used to analyze data collected from the library staff respondents. The study focused mainly on the problem areas, which depicts customer care policy and structures, customer care products and services, conducting of customer care, satisfaction of customers and strategies of customer care. It was discovered that some academic libraries do not have a formal policy on customer care in place. However, respondents were aware of and familiar with customer care policies in their libraries. Additionally, awareness and familiarity with information products and services was found to be known among library users. Furthermore, it was found that academic libraries do not have proper methods and strategies of customer care. Even those strategies that exist, are unknown among library users. It was further drawn out that library users are satisfied with information resources offered by their libraries. The study therefore, recommends that academic libraries should have a unit/person and committee responsible for customer care in place. In addition to that, library staff should attend workshops on customer care, to get formal training on how to deal with customers. It was observed that proper strategies and methods of conducting customer care must be implemented.

The study aimed to examine high school student usage of licensed databases available through public libraries in Atlanta-USA. A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted via a web-based questionnaire among 135 East Cobb high school students. The findings revealed that most students are aware of these licensed databases, but their usage is low (1:10) compared to Google. However, as students advance in grade levels, their database usage increases and GALILEO is the most-used licensed resource. Factors that influence student database usage include: specific academic needs; teacher instruction to use specific databases and frequent Digital Information Literacy (DIL) instruction. Most students receive DIL instruction at school, but their DIL skills are still inadequate. To increase usage of licensed databases as reliable information resources, the study recommends collaboration between public libraries and high schools, including incorporation of Generation Y's digital information preferences such as Google-type simplified interfaces, cutting-edge technology and time-saving search features. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)