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Status of reference and information services in university libraries of Lahore, Pakistan
... Countries, which fail to prepare for IT and do not use it, are likely to lose their global competitiveness. Dr. Mahatir bin Mohamed, Prime Minister of Malaysia has very rightly said that "In the information age that we are living in… there is today, no wealthy developed country that is information-poor and no information-rich country that is poor and undeveloped [15]". ...
... Besides, it is pertinent to mention here that the intervention of advanced technology is taking more attention of them. There are several extensive research support services provided by library professionals in higher education institutions of the Punjab province (Rehman & Mahmood, 2010). ...
This paper attempts to examine the research support services in university libraries of higher education institutions in the Punjab, Pakistan. University libraries are providing traditional and as well as modern facilitation to scholars, students, and teachers for face to face and online learning in the globe generally and in Pakistan specifically. A quantitative study design opted and a sample of 90 university libraries was taken out of 116 libraries including sub-campuses libraries from the Punjab Province. A well-structured questionnaire was administered and pretested to conduct a representative survey. The study findings indicated that there was a significant difference in research support facilities between government and private sector university libraries in the Punjab Province. There was also a significant difference in the training of library staff regarding research support activities among university types. The study recommended that training on research support services in the library should be provided to library professional staff, researchers, and students for the best utilization of library services.
... Almquist (2014), in a descriptive study, was of the view that orientation service is part of marketing of library services. Rehman and Mahmood (2010) to identify the information needs. After that SDI service was started. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the number, difference and ratio of professionals and non-professionals heading toward non-academic special libraries (NASL). This study also explored the difference of provision of services based on educational qualifications.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative survey research method and questionnaire as a data collection tool was used to conduct the study. The questionnaire contained four educational levels against the 18 services variables. No list or directory being available, 71 special libraries were assured to be there in Lahore through snowball-sampling technique. Out of 71 questionnaires, 41 were returned and analyzed using Chi-Square test in Statistical Package for Social Sciences.
Findings
Findings indicated that 56 per cent of the libraries were headed by LIS professionals, while rest of 44 per cent of the libraries was headed by persons with no professional education. Chi-Square test’s p value indicated the significant difference in the orientation, reference service and document reservation service. The professionally qualified library managers were found better at providing librarians’ end services.
Originality/value
The present study is the first of its kind in Pakistan, which marked the vacant positions and indicated the differences of services based on level of education. It depicted the electronic, librarians end, and technical knowledge and multi-factor services and measured its variation on the educational grounds.
... Baro, Efe and Oyeniran (2014) also reported little or no use of e-mail and IM as channels through which students make reference inquiries in Nigeria. Similarly, Rehman and Mahmood (2010) reported a less developed culture of delivering reference services through e-mail and other electronic means of communication due to the lack of IT skills and professional knowledge on the part of librarians. Librarians need to promote the use of the different reference inquiries channels through the library web site, information literacy instruction, orientation sessions, etc. User satisfaction, another outcome measure, is one of the most frequently used measures in reference effectiveness literature (Saxton & Richardson, 2002). ...
The study examined the extent students of UNN use the library Facebook page,
e-mail, Phone/SMS, instant messaging, and person-to-person when seeking for
help from reference librarians. The population of this study consist of all
eligible undergraduate students using the library. Questionnaire was used for
data collection. The research has shown that the majority of the respondents at UNN are more
aware of the person-to-person reference channel and the phone/SMS reference
channels. It was found that the students use the person-to-person reference, the
phone/SMS, and the library Facebook page most when seeking for reference
help. From the survey results it is apparent that library patrons need awareness
campaigns on the various channels of reference services offered at UNN.
... A study was conducted by Rehman and Mahmood (2010) to investigate the reference services and resources in the university libraries of Lahore, Pakistan. They described the digital reference services as those services that were "requested and provided over the Internet, usually via email, instant messaging (chat), or Web-based submission forms, usually answered by librarians in the reference department of a library" (4). ...
This study explores the current status and features of Pakistan's academic library Web sites. A checklist describing features and content was prepared based on a review of the literature related to academic libraries’ Web sites. Then, all 85 library Web sites of Pakistani universities and degree-awarding institutions recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan were surveyed and analyzed using the checklist. Interviews with library professionals were conducted to learn more about the problems and issues with building and maintaining library Web sites. Results indicate that Pakistani academic library Web sites have effective features such as contrasting color schemes, easily readable text, minimal use of horizontal scrolling, and English-language text. Staff information, OPACs, and navigation features are also widely found on the Web sites. Features found less frequently include the use of Web 2.0 technologies, Web site aid tools, information about library buildings, and general library information. By offering information about the status of Pakistani academic library Web sites, the study can serve as a foundation for discussion between libraries and other parts of the university, as well as a benchmark for evaluating the progress of academic library Web sites in Pakistan
... Baro, Efe and Oyeniran (2014) also reported little or no use of e-mail and IM as channels through which students make reference inquiries in Nigeria. Similarly, Rehman and Mahmood (2010) reported a less developed culture of delivering reference services through e-mail and other electronic means of communication due to the lack of IT skills and professional knowledge on the part of librarians. Librarians need to promote the use of the different reference inquiries channels through the library web site, information literacy instruction, orientation sessions, etc. User satisfaction, another outcome measure, is one of the most frequently used measures in reference effectiveness literature (Saxton & Richardson, 2002). ...
The study aims to bring to light the various channels students prefer to submit reference inquiries to librarians in Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the various channels students prefer when making reference inquiries in Nigerian university libraries. The questionnaire was administered to the students in the university library. It was found that the students use the person-to-person/traditional reference desk, the phone/SMS, the library Facebook page most when seeking for reference help. Other channels such as: Instant messaging and e-mail were indicated to be least used by the students. The students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) library expressed dissatisfaction with the services offered through the various channels. The reason given is that, most of them are not aware of the various reference channels used in the library, and others reported that librarians are reluctant to provide timely feedback. The findings of this study will offer insights on users preferred channel through which they make reference enquires, which may provide a useful basis for library staff and professionals who are considering the possibility of embracing new technologies as part of their system and will contribute to the growing literature on references services channels from developing countries like Nigeria. The findings will inform reference librarians as they seek to re-design their reference services to meet patron’s needs and inquiry preferences.
This study intended to investigate the current situation of research support resources and services offered by the university libraries of Pakistan. Quantitative research design using a survey method was adopted to conduct the proposed research. The data were collected form head librarians working in university libraries of Punjab using a questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for data analysis using SPSS. A large majority of university libraries provide access to online and printed information resources to support research activities of library users along with a conducive learning environment. A good number of libraries also provide specialized research services such as current awareness service (CAS), selective dissemination of information (SDI), information and research literacy instructions. Some libraries not only equip library users with specialized research tools (e.g. citation management software, data analysis software) but also manage research training programs such as citation management, avoiding plagiarism, data analysis, academic writing, developing research proposals, conducting online surveys, etc. to enhance information and research literacy of library users. This study painted a gloomy picture about the current state of research support services and facilities provided in the university libraries especially from public sector as most of the libraries do not provide state of the art research support services. The capacity of library staff needs to be built with regard to modern tools and skills so that they may be able to provide need-based and state of the art reference and research support services at university libraries in Pakistan.
Purpose
– This study aims to investigate the different channels reference librarians receive reference inquiries from patrons in university libraries in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire was used to collect data on the various channels through which reference librarians received reference inquiries in Nigerian university libraries. The questionnaire was administered using an online method.
Findings
– It emerged that the face-to-face traditional reference desk was rated as the highest channel through which librarians receive reference inquiries in Nigeria, followed by library Facebook page and phone/short message service (SMS). Instant messaging (IM) and e-mail were identified as the least used channels by the patrons. The challenges mentioned include the absence of policy statements concerning virtual reference services; the lack of information and communications technology (ICT) skills on the part of librarians; slow Internet connectivity; power failures; management’s lack of support for emerging technologies; IM’s limitations; user’s expectations of instant answer; inarticulate requests; and lack of adequate current reference materials.
Research limitations/implications
– The findings are from a small sample size; therefore, the findings may not be substantial enough to generalize. Further study is necessary to determine if these results are consistent throughout other university libraries in Nigeria.
Originality/value
– The findings will inform university libraries in developing countries that are planning to adopt virtual reference services to deliver reference services to users anywhere, anytime.
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