Remote storage has become an increasingly popular response to the overcrowding of open-stack areas in academic libraries. While many institutions have chosen this option and there has been much discussion about administration of such facilities, its impact on patrons is still unclear. Some potential user limitations of remote storage considered by this study are delayed retrieval, loss of browsability, and the barrier of making a retrieval request. The current study was conducted at the Chemistry and Art Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It observed the use of materials that had been selected for transfer to remote storage, where half of these selected materials were transferred to remote storage and the other half remained on open library stacks. After an average of approximately two months of observation, none of the selected books had circulated, suggesting that their selection for remote storage was appropriate.

In this thesis it is argued that the use and design of computer artefacts can be fruitfully studied by focusing on use problems and design contradictions, defined as problems and contradictions in relation to organisational improvements planned by the IT-practitioner. The position taken in this thesis is that the important thing with computer artefacts and systems design is their contributions to human organisations at large. The purpose is to contribute to the design of contributing computer artefacts by studying, first, use problems and design contradictions, and second, the importance of IT-perspectives held by the practitioner. That is, the practitioner's tacit assumptions about what computers really are. Based on Action Science three case studies are made. What was found in these cases were use problems such as context dependency, discriminating information systems, misinterpretations and misuse. Among design contradictions were observed narrow design domains, unimaginative and pointless staff trainings, too fixed positions concerning goals and problems, and an assumption concerning relevant knowledge that effectively was excluding important knowledge related to the organisation at large. In all of these cases a tool perspective was interpreted as the dominating IT-perspective. In order to find out whether or not a tool perspective can be regarded as causing the use problems and design contradictions observed, the thesis examines this IT-perspective more closely. The conclusion made from this examination is that the tool perspective can be causing the problems and contradictions observed. In an attempt to formulate an alternative to this tool perspective theoretical studies into systems thinking and reflective practice were made, ending up in a framework labeled contextual IT-understanding. It is a framework built on principles such as a systems view, purposefulness, product-producer perspective, and constructivism. It is also built on assumptions such as that practitioners have a capacity to make sense out of a situation that initially makes no sense, that their actions are formed through a reflective conversation with the materials of the situation, that design is a matter of reflection, both in and on the actual action, and that in training it is important to make the trainee start to reflect on the tacit assumptions guiding her actions. According to a contextual IT-understanding an information system is a systemic and culturally dynamic artefact and as such, an artefact that will serve certain interests at the expense of others, will be ambiguous, will be misinterpreted, will be misused, etcetera. An information system should also be considered as part of a larger value creating process under the constant influence of a tacit dimension, implying that the relation between an information system and organisational improvements is not causal, that a lot of important design will take place in use, etcetera. More radically though, every information system can be seen as having a tacit dimension acting like an intellectual superstructure, and this tacit dimension can be fruitfully utilized in design. On the overall level a conclusion is drawn that both researchers and practitioners should emphasis the IT-perspectives held by IT-practitioners and the tacit dimensions influencing practice. / digitalisering@umu

The study ofinformation seeking patterns ofdistance learners registered with the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) was undertaken with a view to understand the paths taken by the distance learners to identifY, locate and make use ofinformation resources to solve their problems, answer questions or to accomplish given tasks. This study was carried out after the realisation by the Library and Information Service Management that the distance learners were making very little use ofthe library and information resources that were put in place to expressly serve their needs. It was critical for the study to establish the possible causes for this under-utilisation. The study investigated the socio-demographic and academic characteristics ofthe distance learners to verifY the assumption that these characteristics affected the use ofthe LIS. The socio-economic commitments ofthe distance learners were investigated to determine how they impacted on the use ofthe LIS. Factors that possibly prevented the distance learners from using the ZOU LIS were investigated. The CCAUSAL factors included the cost in terms ofboth time and money to get to the LIS due to distance, currency or recency ofthe information, accessibility in terms ofhow easy it was to get to the LIS, usability as it implies the ease ofconsulting the LIS and locatibility ofthe LIS. The study investigated the use ofother information sources and libraries and the CCAUSAL factors that possibly affected the use of them. The results ofthe study revealed that the distance learners registered with the ZOU did follow specific information seeking patterns as a result ofwhat the study's acronym CCAUSASL suggested as factors. For instance, it was shown that on one hand, the distance factor affected 32.4% of the respondents who lived more than 51 kilometres from the LIS and on the other hand it was not much ofa factor for the 34.1% and 32.4% who lived within the 0-10 and 11-20 kilometre ranges respectively. The study sought recommendations from the respondents as the main users ofthe LIS on what Management should do in order to put in place effective and efficient 'open' library systems that meets their requirements as distance learners. Their suggestions together with guidelines from the literature on library service provision in distance learning environments form the recommendations ofthe study. / Thesis (MIS.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

The study is based on the premise that the culture of library assessment from the users' perspective is of vital importance to determine what users' needs are and whether these needs are being met. Consequently, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the existing library services and using the assessment results can improve service delivery. The study examined the quality of service at Iringa University College Library (IUCo) from the users' perceptions. The users' expectations and perceptions of service quality were investigated to determine the gap that existed between the two; and to determine the extent to which the library met users' expectations or not. A sample of 294 undergraduate students, all 31 postgraduate students, and 50 academic staff were surveyed. The adapted LibQUAL+T questionnaire was self-administered for data gathering from these respondents. A total of 213 (72.4%) undergraduate students, 20 (64.5%) postgraduate students, and 31 (68%) academic staff responded. The results were analysed using SPSS to determine the frequency of responses. The results are displayed in the form of charts and tables. The insights gained from this study indicate that there is a gap between user's expectations and perceptions of service quality at IUCo Library. The magnitude of the gap varies depending on individual services. The results show that the most problematic services for users are: electronic journals, photocopying, interlibrary loan, electronic databases, a quiet library environment, and the library webpage. The results show also that there are variations within difference groups of users regarding the expectations and perceptions of service quality. The academic staff have higher expectations and lower perceptions compared to the postgraduate and undergraduate students. Recommendations to improve service quality at the IUCo Library and the introduction of new services pertinent to current needs of users are given. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

This study examined the quality of service provided by the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Library from the perspective of the users of the library. It determined the gaps between users’ expectations and perceptions of service quality and it indicated the level of user satisfaction at the library. The identification of the gaps in the library services and the assessment results can improve service delivery. The intention of the study was to measure the users’ perceptions of the quality of the collections, personal services and facilities. The results will be used for service improvements and to make informed decisions concerning the quality of service that is offered at the MUT Library. The LibQUAL+™ instrument is being used by many libraries all over the world and is currently being used in South African libraries too. It helps librarians assess and improve library services, change organisational structure and market the library. The questionnaire is used to measure the gap between customer expectations for excellence and their perceptions of the actual services delivered by the library. The LibQUAL+™ instrument in this study was modified and simplified to identify these gaps. The instrument consisted of both open-ended and closed questions although the latter predominated. The three dimensions of service quality, that is, access to information, staff service and library facilities formed the core of the instrument. The research method used for this study was the descriptive survey. The population of the study consisted of both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academic and administrative staff. All faculties were represented. The stratified proportional sampling method was used and a sample of 1823 respondents were surveyed. Results were analysed using SPSS to determine the frequency of responses. The results are displayed using tables and graphs. The study yielded a return rate of 70.8% for students and 52.9% return rate for staff. An overall response rate of 69.5% was sufficient for data analysis. The results from this study indicate that there is definitely a huge gap between users’ expectations and perceptions of service quality at MUT Library. The extent of the gap varies depending on the individual services. All user categories had higher expectations than perceptions for most library services. The users’ expectations were not in keeping with their actual experiences at the library. Further, the findings of the survey indicated that the most problematic to users were library space, library facilities (for example, printing, photocopying and Internet access) and the inadequate and outdated book collection. Several insights gained from this study showed that users’ expectations were not met and many users had low perceptions of certain library services. The level of satisfaction varied among the different user categories. The staff affirmed that the overall quality of services were good while the majority of students affirmed that their satisfaction with the overall quality of library services was poor. Based on the findings, recommendations are presented to improve service quality and increase the level of user satisfaction at the MUT Library. / Thesis (MIS)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study examined the quality of service provided by the Bessie Head Library from the perspective of the adult users of the library. The study assessed the adult users’ perceptions of the quality of service and determined the level of user satisfaction at the Bessie Head Library. The purpose of the study was to identify gaps in the library services and to measure the users’ perceptions of the quality of the collections, staff services and library facilities. The study population consisted of 200 registered adult library users. Of the 200 adults under study, 197 responded to the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 98.5% chosen by means of a convenience sample. The LibQUAL+TM survey instrument that was used in this study was modified and adapted for use in a public library, as the majority of research using the LibQUAL instrument was undertaken in academic libraries. The instrument consisted of both open-ended and closed questions. The three dimensions of service quality, that is, access to information, staff services and library facilities, formed the core of the instrument. An interview schedule was used to elicit background information from the Library Manager and Principal Librarian, on issues of library services, collection development policy, funding and general library issues. The results from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS to determine the frequency of responses. These were presented in the form of tables and graphs. The interview results were analyzed qualitatively, using thematic content analysis. The results from this study indicate that there is a gap between users’ expectations and perceptions of service quality at the Bessie Head Library. The extent of the gap varies depending on the individual services. The users’ expectations were not in keeping with the actual experiences at the library, especially with regard to access to information, as users experienced problems with Internet access and the reference collection. The level of satisfaction varied among the different user categories and the findings revealed that the majority of adult users rated the overall quality of services as good and that the library is, to a large extent, excelling in service provision. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to address problems presented in this study. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Thesis--Syracuse University. / Research done at University of Southwestern Louisiana Libraries. Photocopy of typescript. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms International, 1978. -- 22 cm. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 290-297).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Walden University (Minneapolis, Minn.), 1994. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [97]-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--San Jose State University, 1994.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Northern Arizona University, 1996. / "This study involved ... investigation at a single large multi-campus urban community college ... Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona."--Leaf 7. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-133).