Academic digital library in Malaysia: A case study on the status of digital reference services

This paper highlights the current status of digital library services provided by selected public academic libraries in Malaysia. The drift from traditional library to digital library architecture has set drastic changes in favor of adopting knowledge-gain mechanisms via the use of networked and digital environments. With diversity of functions, academic digital library is seen the most awaiting proxy in changing the information culture among academic users. This paper in general attempts to highlight the phenomena of using digital library system in public universities in Malaysia. The focal of the discussion is on digital reference services of academic digital library

Redefining the roles of the university librarians / Dr. Wan Ab. Kadir Wan Dollah and Mohd Zaihan Hussin

Tugas pustakawan khususnya di institusi pengajian tinggi semakin mencabar dengan revolusi digital serta kemunculan teknologi yang semakin canggih. Para pustakawan perlu berubah bagi menyesuaikan diri dengan peranan dan tanggungjawab baru sebagaimana disarankan oleh penulis. Antaranya adalah fungsi dalam pengajaran, khidmat perundingan dan penyelidika

Keperluan maklumat pelajar diploma kejuruteraan politeknik Kuching, Sarawak: Satu tinjauan

Keperluan maklumat bagi setiap individu berbeza antara satu sama lain. Sebagai seorang pelajar, maklumat yang diperlukan boleh dianggap bersifat lebih akademik yang dapat membantu mereka menyelesaikan pelbagai persoalan. Artikel ini membincangkan secara ringkas berkaitan penemuan terhadap keperluan maklumat pelajar diploma kejuruteraan di Politeknik Kuching Sarawak (PKS). Antara objektif tinjauan ini ialah bagi mengenalpasti keperluan maklumat, faktor yang mempengaruhi keperluan maklumat dan mengenalpasti sumber maklumat bagi memenuhi keperluan maklumat para pelajar yang mengikuti program kejuruteraan. Persampelan yang dipilih meliputi semua pelajar-pelajar semester lima dan enam yang melibatkan seramai 430 orang pelajar berbanding jumlah keseluruhan pelajar PKS semasa seramai 2,738 orang. Antara penemuan yang telah diperolehi ialah peranan Bahasa Melayu yang menjadi medium utama sama ada dari aspek komunikasi dan pemilihan bahan pembacaan. Selain itu, penggunaan internet di kalangan pelajar yang mana mereka sudah mempunyai pengetahuan tentang internet sejak alam persekolahan lagi. Tinjauan ini juga mendapati majoriti responden mengakses media-media sosial sebagai pilihan utama berbanding dengan akses-akses yang lain bersifat akademik. Rumusan tinjauan juga mendapati pengaruh bahasa memainkan peranan dalam aspek komunikasi dan pemilihan bahan bacaan

Determining the effectiveness of digital reference services in selected academic libraries in Malaysia / Wan Ab. Kadir Wan Dollah

New technologies have been used to assist in a variety of functions in library and information units including in the provision of reference services. Digital reference services (DRS) are becoming widely available in Malaysian academic libraries and primarily provide assistance to remote users mainly through e-mail format. This study examined the existing status and effectiveness of digital reference services (DRS) in four selected public academic libraries in Malaysia. The study focused on the awareness, usage, users� perception, users� satisfaction, library�s performance, and looked at the perceived needs, issues and problems faced by librarians and students. The study is important to determine how academic librarians are exploiting the latest information and communication technologies to improve reference service operations. The research methodology employed was a case study approach that combined three data collection methods, i.e. questionnaires, interviews and content analysis. Two different sets of questionnaires were distributed: (a) a librarians� questionnaires to 163 librarians, and (2) a users� questionnaires to 1,000 students in four public universities in Malaysia. Structured interviews and systematic observations were conducted to collect information on the existing library services provided. The findings indicate: (a) all the four public academic libraries in Malaysia have implemented asynchronous DRS in the forms of e-mail reference and web forms; however, the extent of these services varies from institution to institution; (b) a majority (67.3%) of the students were aware of the university library offering DRS; (c) a majority (82.8%) of the librarians have been using DRS in answering reference questions; (d) a high percentage (73.1%) of librarians, but a small percentage (19.5%) of students have been using e-mail reference; web forms have been used by 32.3% of librarians and 28.2% of students; Ask-A Librarian have been used by 26.9% of librarians and 26.8% of students; (e) the digital reference services are effective form of service delivery in Malaysian academic libraries based on the findings on users� perception, users� satisfaction and library�s performance; (f) the majority of the respondents would choose traditional reference (47%), but predicted online chat reference (42.7%), e-mail reference (37.4%) and video conferencing (36.5%) to be the most heavily used of reference services in the next five years. Recommendations are made on the need for the implementation of synchronous DRS, enhancing the role of DRS, marketing and promotion, staff training, user education programmes and cooperation. The main contribution of this research is the assessment of effectiveness of DRS in academic libraries in Malaysia, the identification of perceived needs, issues and problems and suggestions on the areas of improvement in the use of DRS. In the process, a proposed guideline for an effective DRS in academic libraries in Malaysia is presented. Finally, the researcher proposes directions for future research in the area of DRS

The impact of the internet on library and information services / Wan Ab. Kadir Wan Dollah and Mohd Zaihan Hussin

Library and information services have been influenced and enhanced by the Internet in many ways, such as methods of information dissemination, scope of information availability and convenience of information accessibility. The Internet has changed reference service by exponentially expanding the universe of available information. Librarians must be able to determine which sites are the best to answer the reference questions. They also have to know how to access, evaluate and navigate Internet sites with the speed, efficiency and comfort level we have long enjoyed with print sources