Malaysiana collection at the University of Malaya library

Malaysiana collection at the University of Malaya is defined as: (i) Books about Malaysia published locally or overseas, (ii) Books/Conference papers/Journal articles written by Malaysian and (iii) Books/Journals/Conference proceedings published in Malaysia regardless of the contents. The collection development adheres to materials which are scholarly and academic in nature. Whilst the acquiring of books is particularly in the areas of Malay language, literature and culture, journal articles and conference papers follow a much wider scope. The University of Malaya with collections published as early as the 17th Century has always been the prime spot for researchers dwelling in local content from both within the country and from overseas. This paper will discuss the Malaysiana information resources at the University of Malaya Library and its accessibility to the researchers

What do users want? An analysis of enquiries received at the Help Desk

Librarians are expected to equip themselves with knowledge of the various information resources available and tips for efficient search strategies before being given the task of helping out at the Help Desk. For this reason, fresh librarian are often paired with senior librarians when on duty. However, the emergence of multitude online resources and the inherent digital skills of the Net generation seem to have a shrinking effect on the need for academic related types of enquiries. The objective of this paper is to analyse and study the characteristics and changes in the trends of reference enquiries received at the Help Desk particularly in the Sunway Campus Library. All enquiries received either in person, phone, email or via social media are recorded in the Reference Enquiries Database developed by the Automation division. Enquiries received are categorised as Simple or In-Depth enquiries. The Simple enquiries are categorised as; Bibliograph instruction, Directional Questions, Computer & IT related; nformational, and Others. In-depth enquiries consist of Literature Search and Bibliographical Verification. This paper will plot the types of enquiries received for 3 years (2014-2016) and analyse the changes and trends in the types of enquiries received. It is hoped that this analysis will give an insight to the changing needs of library users and help academic libraries to plan, modify, and re-evaluate Help Desk services

Industrial training for library & information science students : A Malaysian experience

Library profession is specialized and technical in nature, and so industrial training for the library science students must have both the elements of theory and practical skills incorporated. This is becoming more pertinent with the frequent debate lately as to the relevance of libraries in the wake of emerging web technologies. We are at a crossroad in time, when even ALA seems to have difficulty defining librarianship adequately. In Malaysia, four public universities run this program, two for undergraduates and two for postgraduate programs. The industrial training is partly based on the internship model where students undergo training from one to three months. This paper will present students’ comments as well trainers’ feedback of a training program for LIS students in a public university in Malaysia. A few challenges such as unsynchronized training schedules between school and industry, and varying library systems are identified which calls for more collaborative efforts between library schools and industrial trainers

Library anxiety among postgraduates: A preliminary study

A preliminary study to investigate the prevalence of library anxiety among postgraduates who attended the information skills instruction sessions at a public university in Malaysia was carried out. The mode and module of these sessions had undergone minimum changes since it was first started. Brief questionnaires to assess these sessions usually indicate moderate satisfaction. It was necessary to find out students’ needs and anxious areas before steps can be taken to facilitate the continual improvement of these sessions. The modified Library Anxiety Scale was distributed to the students who attended the sessions. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of library anxiety among these students and to explore the item statements in the dimensions which can give an insight to the unspoken anxieties of these students. It was revealed that generally, postgraduates in this study are not really anxious about library staff and services barriers as the mean level for both factors is below average but factors associated with affective barriers and library resources barriers show a slightly elevated mean level of anxiety. Statements such as I am unsure how to begin my research and I get confused trying to get my way around the library were statements identified as the reasons for a great source of library anxiety. It is strongly recommended that besides hands-on during these sessions, students have to be brought around the library and also taught the effective strategies to begin research

Trend and impact of international collaboration in clinical medicine papers published in Malaysia

Research collaboration is the way forward in order to improve quality and impact of its research findings. International research collaboration has resulted in international co-authorship in scientific communications and publications. This study highlights the collaborating research and authorship trend in clinical medicine in Malaysia from 2001 to 2010. Malaysian-based author affiliation in the Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded) and clinical medicine journals (n = 999) and articles (n = 3951) as of 30th Oct 2011 were downloaded. Types of document analyzed were articles and reviews, and impact factors (IF) in the 2010 Journal Citation Report Science Edition were taken to access the quality of the articles. The number of publications in clinical medicine increased from 4.5 % (n = 178) in 2001 to 23.9 % (n = 944) in 2010. The top three contributors in the subject categories are Pharmacology and Pharmacy (13.9 %), General and Internal Medicine (13.6 %) and Tropical Medicine (7.3 %). By journal tier system: Tier 1 (18.7 %, n = 738), Tier 2 (22.5 %, n = 888), Tier 3 (29.6 %, n = 1170), Tier 4 (27.2 %, n = 1074), and journals without IF (2.1 %, n = 81). University of Malaya was the most productive. Local collaborators accounted for 60.3 % and international collaborations 39.7 %. Articles with international collaborations appeared in journals with higher journal IFs than those without international collaboration. They were also cited more significantly than articles without international collaborations. Citations, impact factor and journal tiers were significantly associated with international collaboration in Malaysia’s clinical medicine publications. Malaysia has achieved a significant number of ISI publications in clinical medicine participation in international collaboration

On the prevalence of communication and English language anxieties as possible antecedents of library anxiety / Janaki Sinnasamy

Academic related anxieties are of relevant concern to libraries and librarians because substantial funds are spent annually to provide adequate information resources, services and facilities for students while the optimal use can be hindered by anxieties faced by students. Furthermore, a large portion of the print and electronic resources procured by the libraries are inevitably in the English language. Students in Malaysia who are non-native speakers of English are diversified in their competency of English language. At the University of Malaya, all undergraduates are required to register and pass the Information Skills Course since 1998. The mission is to produce quality graduates who are equipped with the relevant information skills for lifelong learning. Studies however, reveal that the students are more concerned with locating materials listed in their reading lists and favored internet sources, and only then the sources in the library. Why students do not optimize the use of library resources, services, and facilities despite having knowledge of the 'know-hows' of using the library, could be probably be the influence of inherent student related anxieties. The library has to find out if other forms of anxieties inherent in students can have an effect on their behavior and attitude towards the library. The objective of this study is to investigate if the dimensions of foreign language anxiety and communication anxiety can be identified as possible antecedents of library anxiety. The model used is based on the Library Anxiety Expectation Model (LEM). Three sets of instruments used are the Malay translated versions of: (i) Library Anxiety Scale, (Skala Kebimbangan Menggunakan Perpustakaan), (ii) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, (Skala Kebimbangan Terhadap Kelas Bahasa Inggeris) and (iii) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, (Laporan Khendiri Kekhuatiran Komunikasi). A pilot study was carried out on 147 students. The participants for the final study consisted of 114 final year undergraduates at the University of Malaya registered during the first semester of session year 2012/2013. The results of the survey were used to address six research questions and hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed with empirical evidence that the dimensions of foreign language anxiety and communication anxiety are possible antecedents of library anxiety. Students who have inherent communication problems and who have difficulty communicating with others will be unlikely to make full use or demand services from the library. The overall conclusion of this study’s findings infer that the dimensions of communication anxiety as distal antecedents mediate through the dimension Learner Anxiety of English Language anxiety and has an effect on the use of library services and seeking assistance from library staff. Students’ learner anxieties and their fear of communicating with other people and in public or formal situations are also brought into the library scenario. Libraries and librarians should acknowledge that students are anxious to seek assistance from librarians. More enhanced of CMC tools, gentle or non-authoritative methods of answering any queries, whether the query is face-to-face or via email/online, familiarity with culture and ethnic background can be helpful in reducing anxiety