An Argument on Collection Development and Collection Management

This study is an attempt to examine the concepts of collection development and collection management through extensive literature review. Though these phrases are being used interchangeable but there is hardly any consensus on which term is more comprehensive. Are these terms the same or different? Some authors see them synonyms and other the expansion and extension of one another. The evolutionary studies of collection development and collection management show that these two are overlapping terms in nature, however, the two areas together are difficult to define. This study is an effort to present an argument on these terms in a bifurcated way based on literature review

Impact of Medical Libraries on Clinical Decision-Making in Pakistan

Medical libraries play a very active role in quenching the information thirst of their users. Library users of medical libraries are life savers. The focus of this study is on the impact of medical libraries on clinical decisions of the medical practitioners in Pakistan. Quantitative research approach was used to undergo the study. Journals were reported as the most used library resources in the medical libraries under study. Medical literature placed in these libraries have a great impact on the clinical decisions of the medical doctors working in hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Provision of latest, relevant and sufficient medical literature to the libraries of these medical libraries is the cry of the day

Collection Development and Management in the University Libraries of Pakistan

This study was an attempt to investigate the collection development and management activities in the university libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Survey method was employed to conduct the research. The study covered all those well-established public and private sector universities of the province which were chartered by the Government of KPK, and recognized by Higher Education Commission (HEC) till December 31st, 2015. Based on this criterion 17 public and 9 private sector universities were selected (Public= 17 and Private = 9, Total 26 universities). The population of this study were the professional librarians working in the central libraries of both public and private sector universities of KPK. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from the target population. The study found that all public and private sector universities develop and manage their collections according to requirements of the patron community

Information Needs and Seeking Behavior of Faculty Members: A Case Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

College libraries play vital role in the development of education and achievement of the institutional objectives. For the information professionals study on information needs of users is of significant importance for provision of effective information services. This study was an attempt to investigate information needs and seeking behavior of faculty members working on regular basis in the male degree colleges of District Karak. The study was aimed to identify purposes of information needs and seeking behavior, preferred sources, methods employed to obtain needed information and problems faced by them while using their college libraries. Data was collected through questionnaires using cross sectional census based survey research method with 81% response rate. Findings of the study revealed that faculty members needed information mainly for class lectures, reading and discussion with colleagues. College library and internet were the preferred channels of information seeking. Google was frequently used for online searching. Information sources were preferred in print and English language. Mostly personal visits were paid to acquire information sources from libraries. Results also showed that college faculty members complained about poor internet connectivity and insufficient number of computers in their respective college libraries. The study recommends to college administration to develop their libraries in all respect to fulfill the information needs of their faculty members effectively

University Libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

This study was designed to investigate the history and administrative structure, financial management, collection, users and library staff of university libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study covered all those well-established public and private sector universities of the province which were chartered by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and recognized by HEC (Public= 18 and Private = 9, Total 27 universities). The newly established universities which were housed in rented buildings and had no proper library facilities were excluded from the study. Data was collected from the library professionals of universities through structured questionnaire. Results of the study show that University of Peshawar was established following the birth of Pakistan in 1950 and is generally known the “mother of all universities”. After independence in 1947 till 1995, the total number of universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both in public and private sectors were five which has now reached to 37. Centralized library system is the most dominating in all the private and majority of the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Budgets are randomly allocated for collection which varies from millions to thousands. The collection of university libraries includes both traditional and electronic resources. However, access to most of the electronic resources is provided through HEC Digital Library. University libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa serve a wide range of users including graduates, post graduates, researchers, teaching community, administrative staff and to some extent the external users

HEC Digital Library Resources: Its purpose of Usage and Impact on Teaching and Research Activities in the Universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

The study aimed to evaluate the impact and purpose of using Higher Education Commission (HEC) digital library resources by the faculty members in the universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The population of study comprised of 280 social science faculty members working in the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Census Based survey method was used to solicit both genders’ views for this study. A quantitative survey procedure was employed for data collection, obtaining 89.2% response rate. Majority of faculty members who were lecturers participated in survey. The study indicates that both male and female respondents have knowledge about the HEC digital library resources. However, male faculty members used these resources more than female. The faculty members between the age group of 31- 40 years were major users of these resources. Among them MS/Phil faculty members use these resources extensively to fulfill their teaching and research needs. The results of the study showed that majority of the faculty members used HEC digital library resources for the purposes of teaching and research, writing articles, updating their knowledge, improving professional competencies, and guiding research students respectively. Results further showed that these resources have a significant impact on respondents’ teaching and research performance. The study suggests that in order to enhance the impact and effectiveness of HEC digital library resources in the public and private sector university of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it was suggested to make necessary planning to increase its usage among the faculty members which will increase their research and academic outputs

Federal Investigation Agency against the Crime of Book Piracy in Pakistan

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is a counter-intelligence, criminal investigation and security agency of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which was established in 1975. The Economic Crime Wing (ECW) of the FIA has the mandate to protect the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the people of Pakistan. The main objective of this study is to investigate the role of FIA against the crime of book piracy in Pakistan. To achieve this objective, data was collected from the annual administration reports of FIA. The study found that FIA has been playing a vital role against the crime of book piracy in Pakistan. Through their prescribed procedures, FIA has been initiating inquires and registering cases against the culprits and confiscating the pirated books. The study suggests that easy legal redressal and mass public awareness can reduce the criminal act of book piracy in Pakistan. The study further suggested to the government of Pakistan to provide all out support to the FIA to make its role more effective against piracy and to safeguard intellectuals at national and international level

Evaluating Users’ Satisfaction on Academic Library Services and Facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan

This study was set out to explore the level of satisfaction of the faculty members working in the south district (Karak) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan from their college libraries’ services and facilities. In order to achieve the objectives of the study and the real picture of the level of satisfaction of faculty members, census based survey research method was adopted to collect data from the target population. Self-constructed and pilot tested questionnaire was used for data collection. Total 147 questionnaires were distributed out of which 120 filled questionnaires were received back with 81% response rate. The study found that majority of the users was satisfied from general infrastructural facilities but dissatisfied from almost all library services except circulation. The study recommends the provision of necessary library services and facilities for college faculty members to fulfill their educational, research and information needs