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ICT based services in public libraries of Pakistan
... Furthermore, librarians in Pakistan are graduates of schools of librarianship where curriculum was replicated from the western countries and still in use and not frequently revised (Mahmood, 2003;Rehman, 1994). This has given birth to multiple issues such as mismatching of skills with job demands (Mahmood, 2003(Mahmood, , 2008. In addition, Pakistani academic librarians are not competent in the use of technologies vital for modern librarianship (Mahmood, 2012;Ramzan, 2004). ...
... In addition, Pakistani academic librarians are not competent in the use of technologies vital for modern librarianship (Mahmood, 2012;Ramzan, 2004). Because of the lack of availability of important skills, Pakistani librarians are confronting several professional issues, for example a poor image of academic librarianship (Ameen, 2008b), poor professional identity and unsuccessful library leadership (Ameen, 2008a), lack of knowledge of technologies (Mahmood, 2003), mismatch between the current and required skills (Haider, 2003;Mahmood, 2008), and in some cases moderate levels of satisfaction and commitment (Ameen, 2008a;. Furthermore, librarianship has become a career of last resort for those students who failed to gain entry to other university degree programs (Laloo, 2013). ...
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and general job satisfaction of librarians. For this purpose, a quantitative study was conducted on librarians serving in university libraries of Pakistan. A randomly selected sample of Pakistani university librarians completed a questionnaire survey measuring their responses on emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis indicated that all indicators of emotional intelligence were significant predictors of job satisfaction. The results showed that self-assessment was the strongest predictor while optimism was the weakest predictor of job satisfaction. The findings are useful for libraries and other organizations interested in developing emotional intelligence and improving workers’ job satisfaction, which ultimately may lead to effective performance.
... Their role in the provision of lifelong learning, provision of educational and recreational resources is inevitable. The basic and fundamentals of human rights, such as freedom, prosperity, access to information and sustainable development of the society as well as individuals, will be achieved through well-educated and well-informed citizens in the democratic set-up (Mahmood, 2008). This is possible only through accurate, quick and relevant access to the information. ...
Objectives of the study: The paper is about evaluating the bibliometric parameters of the documents published in the prominent journal, “Public Library Quarterly” (PLQ) from 1979 to 2021. Research Design: The dataset for this retrospective study was retrieved from the Scopus database. The bibliographic information of all kinds of documents was downloaded in the Comma Separated Value (CSV) file, further converted into Microsoft Excel for analysis. The bibliometric indicators of publications and citations by years, authorship pattern, most contributing countries, productive authors, frequently used keywords and salient appearances of highly cited were examined. Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer and Biblioshiney software were applied to visualize the data. The dataset is limited to papers of PLQ that were indexed in the Scopus data. Key Findings: A total of 1151 documents were found and about 78% were contributed by a single author pattern. The multi-author papers gained a higher citation impact. The analysis of data witnessed that a visible shift from single-author to multi-author was observed and the number of papers was also increased from 2011 to 2021. The majority of papers was fall in the category of articles, followed by editorials. Waters R. L. and United States were found to be the most productive author and the most contributing country, respectively. The “public libraries” and “public library” were the most used keywords. More than one-fifth of the citations were gained by the 15 highly-cited papers. Conclusion: PLQ has been playing a leadership in the research of public libraries around the world. The public library system in the United States has been the role model for the rest of the world because more than three-fourth of the literature of PLQ was contributed by the United States.
... It was found that most of the libraries had either deplorable or no IT infrastructure. It was astonishing to know that a significant number of libraries did not have ICT apparatus, including laptops, photocopier machines, multimedia projector, scanners, printers, UPS equipment, external hard drive, digital camera and Wi-Fi & internet connectivity.Mahmood (2008) explored the inadequate ICT facilities and stated that 30-40% of public libraries used computers.Rana and Bhatti (2020) opined that the overall condition of ICT resources in public libraries of Punjab was very poor. The study's findings are also supported by those identified by Sing (2012);Chandrasekar (2013) ;and Zaman (2015).The findi ...
Purpose: This study aimed to review the ICT facilities in the public libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The specific objectives were to see the status of ICT resources, check the ICT tools used in delivering services, and point out problems faced by the public libraries in developing ICT infrastructure. Research Design and Methodology: The study's population consisted of public libraries in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The census-based approach was employed, and data was gathered from library heads via questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Findings: It was found that most of the libraries did not have electronic information resources like e-books, theses and dissertations and access to the HEC database. Most libraries lacked ICT equipment, including microfilming machines, barcode readers, external hard drives, digital cameras, television and multimedia projectors. The majority of libraries did not use ICT applications like Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and RSS for library services. The key problems identified by libraries while developing ICT infrastructure were inadequate e-resources, limited staff, lack of financial resources, insufficient IT staff and non-availability of standard library software. Implications: The study's findings are beneficial to the government and higher library authorities. The critical point to be considered includes 1) LIS professionals and IT staff be recruited and trained in modern learning, education and communication skills, 2) sufficient funds should be provided to libraries to develop ICT infrastructure 3) digital resources should be acquired, and 4) the librarians should have the power and freedom to spend the budget based on the users' needs. Originality: The study is unique because this is the first study in the country to assess the ICT facilities of public libraries. It will fill the literature gap and guide the researchers to do similar studies across the country. Keywords: ICT Infrastructure, ICT tools and applications, ICT Facilities, Public Libraries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
... There is no national library system in the country, and therefore public library administrative bodies vary from place to place. As reveals in The results of previous studies also indicated that the administrative bodies of public libraries differ from place to place in Pakistan (Haider, 1998;Mahmood, 2008;Warraich, Malik & Ameen, 2018). ...
Purpose: This study examined the problems faced by the public of Pakistan. It also analyzed the demographic information of the libraries and further reviewed the designation, qualifications, and professional experience of the heads/in-charge of public libraries. Research Methodology: The census-based survey was conducted, and data was collected from the 119 public libraries through the structured questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version-23) and both descriptive and inferential stats were applied to analyze the data and interpret the results. Key Findings: The heads of 91 libraries were LIS professionals, while 28 libraries were run by non-professional staff. The major problems identified were lack of training opportunities, limited human resources, insufficient IT & LIS professional staff, limited electronic resources, interrupted power supply, limited information resources, lack of commitment from the upper management and lack of financial resources. It was also observed that public libraries in Balochistan faced more problems than libraries of other provinces. Practical Implications: The findings of the study are useful for policymakers and managers of public libraries. Major points to be considered include a) more posts of professional staff should be created and appointed; b) the existing libraries need to be upgraded, and new and well-equipped public libraries should be established at district and tehsil levels to meet the people's information and recreation needs.
... During the first half of the 19 th century, some Public Libraries (PLs) were established in the Indian subcontinent for the provision of reading pleasure to educated people in their leisure time (Mahmood, 2008). L.C. Key (1956) observed very poor position of libraries in early days of Pakistan having no active role in enhancing literacy in the society. ...
Objectives of the study: This study is about the assessing of use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in Collection Management (CM) of Public Libraries in Punjab (PLsP), Pakistan. Research Design:The study was conducted in seventeen PLsP. Target population was the Head Librarians(HLs) of the selected PLsP. Data regarding current status of ICT apparatus, IT staff, available ICT resources and usage of ICT in CM was collected from the concerned HLs through a comprehensive questionnaire. The questionnaire having mostly closed ended questions was constructed in the light of extensive literature review. The data collected from HLs was analyzed and interpreted manually. Key Findings: Present status of ICT apparatus, IT staff & available ICT resources like internet in PLs was found unsatisfactory and lack of IT professionals & skilled IT staff was note over there. The respondents found convinced about the importance of ICT in CM. Status of usage of ICT in CM was found poor. Absence of required ICT related staff training was also noted. Scarcity of needed funds for ICT and interrupted power supply were found as the pressing issues in PLsP. Practical Implication: PLsP were recommended to develop their ICT apparatus, ensure qualified IT staff, and enrich their available ICT resources to improve their status of usage of ICT in CM. ICT training of staff, availability of needed funds and arrangements for uninterrupted power supply were also recommended.
... In Pakistan, there has been no trend of inviting user feedback in order to improve, build and establish library services in the country. Public libraries are in poor condition and there is a dire need to embrace information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in order to uplift the image of public libraries (Mahmood, 2008). ...
This study was intended to examine the level of user satisfaction with respect to the resources and services of public libraries and the problems faced by the public library users in Lahore, Pakistan. For the purpose of the study, a quantitative research approach based on survey method was used. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect data from the public library users utilizing convenience sampling. The study population consisted of users of four major public libraries in Lahore, Pakistan. The findings showed that the majority of the respondents tended to visit the public library daily and were satisfied with the circulation services at the library. They also considered the public library to be the best information resource in their area. However, they were found to be dissatisfied with the internet-based services available at their libraries as well as the lack of a library-user relationship. This study provides useful information for improving library resources and services in Pakistan, and would help to improve the level of user satisfaction and library services quality in the public sector libraries of Lahore. It also emphasizes the need for the policy makers to device a benchmark for quality service delivery in public libraries in Pakistan.
... Libraries urgently need the legislation, Library Act 2010 is in pipeline. There are nearly 300 public libraries in Pakistan (Mahmood, 2008) whereas in India, 59,000 public libraries exist. Haider (1998) analysed the that only 33 public libraries with the collection of 10,000 or more volumes in Pakistan. ...
Business Dictionary (2010) defines knowledge economy as:
“Economy based on creating, evaluating, and trading knowledge. In a knowledge economy, labour costs become progressively less important and traditional economic concepts such as scarcity resources and economics of scale cease to apply”.
World Bank (2008) document states regarding knowledge economy,
“For countries in the vanguard of the world economy, the balance between knowledge and resources has shifted so far towards the former that knowledge has become perhaps the most important factor determining the standard of living – more than land, than tools, than labour. Today’s most technically advanced economies are truly knowledge based.”
World Bank highlighted the four pillars for knowledge economy are
1. Economic and Institution management
2. Education and Skill
3. Information and Communication Infrastructure
4. Innovative System i.e. Research
The knowledge economy focused on the production and management of knowledge in the frame of economic constraints, or to a knowledge-based economy. In another meaning, it refers to the use of knowledge technologies to produce economic benefits. The essential difference is that in a knowledge economy, knowledge is a product, in knowledge-based economy, knowledge is a tool. In this way, brain attains a status of resource, ideas and thoughts are considered the products and the money so earned – konwledge money or economy (Wikipedia, 2010).
Drucker (1969) opines that unlike most resources that reduce when used, information and knowledge can be shared, and actually grow through application. Human capital — competencies — are a key component of value in a knowledge-based company. Communication is increasingly being seen as fundamental to knowledge flows. Social structures, cultural context and other factors influencing social relations are therefore of fundamental importance to knowledge economies. (p.263)
Developing countries differ from developed countries not only because they have less wealth and capital but because they have less knowledge. It is often costly to create and that is why much of it is created in industrial countries. United States dominates the world’s knowledge economy because 45 out of 50 regions with best knowledge base in the world are situated in the America. (Omar, 2003)
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the ICT facilities in the public libraries of Pakistan. The specific objectives were to see the status of ICT resources, check the ICT tools used in delivering services and identify the problems faced by the public libraries in developing ICT infrastructure. Research Design and Methodology: All the public libraries of Pakistan, working under the administrative control of any directorate or department constituted the population of the study. The census-based approach was employed, and data was gathered from the heads of 119 public libraries. The collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Results: It was found that most of the libraries did not have electronic information resources like e-books, theses and dissertations and access to the HEC database. The libraries had either deplorable or no IT infrastructure and lacked basic ICT devices and apparatus. A significant number of libraries did not use ICT applications for library services. The key problems identified by libraries in developing ICT infrastructure were limited human resources, insufficient IT literate staff, non-availability of technical support, lack of IT expertise among library users, non-availability of standard integrated library software, limited electronic resource, interrupted power supply and lack of financial resources. Implications: The study's findings could be beneficial to the government and library authorities. The key point to be considered includes 1) LIS professionals and IT staff be recruited and trained regarding the applications of ICT in librarianship, 2) sufficient funds should be provided to develop ICT infrastructure 3) digital resources should be acquired, and 4) the librarians should have the power and freedom to spend the budget based on the users' needs. Originality: The study is unique because this is the first study in the country to assess the ICT facilities of public libraries. It will fill the literature gap and guide the researchers to study public libraries across the country. Keywords: ICT Infrastructure, ICT tools and applications, ICT Facilities, Information and Communication Technologies, Public Libraries, Pakistan
This paper presents bio-bibliometric analysis of the contributions of Dr. Khalid Mahmood in the field of Library and Information Science through his publications. The analysis includes geographical and year wise distribution of publications; collaboration for publication; publications by type; language and journal preferences for the publication; and coverage of different subject areas. Results of the study indicate that Dr. Khalid Mahmood is a prolific writer in the field of library and information science. He contributed 115 items including 99 articles, six books, eight conference papers and two papers in newsletters till December 31, 2011. Research work by Dr. Khalid Mahmood is well accepted in developed countries like United Kingdom and United States of America. He used English language to disseminate majority of his research work. He believes in teamwork and about two third of his research work was result of collaboration.
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