Challenges and Opportunities in Migrating to Web-based Information Services
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of web technology in the DU library to serve student needs & find the problem to migrate in web-based information services.
It specifically focused on the following objectives:
- To study the present web products and services available in the DU library.
- To find out the different purposes of using web technology and services.
- To assess to what extent users utilise web-based library services and facilities.
- To identify the type of problems faced by users when using web technology in libraries under study.
- To find out the user satisfaction with the web-based products and services provided by the Dhaka University library.
- To suggest measures for improvement of existing resources and services and implementation of the web.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Overview
Developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) have a profound impact on every sphere of academic activity. Library and information management is not an exception to this. Business and management libraries have so far not adapted the innovations of the Internet and networking to the fullest extent. Earlier, card catalogue was called as the “Mirror to the Library”. Now in this age of the Internet, it is the library portal that is being called as the “Mirror of the Library”. A library portal reflects the strengths and weaknesses of the libraries very effectively. They are also the tools through which libraries are trying to reach out to the tech-savvy users. Libraries should make consistent efforts to provide web-based services to their users.
The main task of a library is to collect, store and distribute the reading materials keeping in view the user requirements. The efficiency of a library is judged by the satisfaction of its reader. The library should render services according to the needs of the users. Service is the first and last word of a library. Its reputation depends on its efficiency to render various services to maximum user satisfaction. The user of DUL is becoming aware of various types specialized web-based information services. With the gradual development of our educational system, the number of faculties, students and researcher are increasing proportionately. DUL are facing different problems due to the increased enrollment, the number of graduate and undergraduate programs, new comprehensive area of study etc.
Academic institution requires up-todate information that is expensive, scarce and difficult to obtain. With the help of web, DUL can meet the information needs of its users. Some problem that is challenges and opportunities has identified from the conducted survey.
Web-Based Information System
Web-based information displays many benefits of multimedia technology. Using today’s fast broadband connection, it’s possible to stream sophisticated content to a computer anywhere in the world. This is an advantage for many people as the information can be received and read wherever and whenever it is convenient for them, which can be a crucial factor for a busy executive. A significant amount of interactive multimedia content is now delivered via the internet.
Web information system, or web-based information system, is an information system that uses Internet web technologies to deliver information and services, to users or other information systems/applications. It is a software system whose main purpose is to publish and maintain data by using hypertext-based principles.
A web information system usually consists of one or more web applications, specific functionality-oriented components, together with information components and other non-web components. Web browser is typically used as front-end whereas database as back-end.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter covers the description and discussion on the various techniques and procedures used in the study to collect and analyze the data as it is deemed appropriate
Research Design
For this study, the survey research design was adopted. The choice of the design was informed by the objectives of the study as outlined in chapter one. This research design provides a quickly efficient and accurate means of assessing information about a population of interest. It intends to study challenges and opportunities in migrating to web-based information services. The study will be conducted in Abuja metropolis.
Population of the Study
The population for this study were residents in Abuja metropolis, FCT, Nigeria. A total of 134 respondents were selected from the population figure out of which the sample size was determined. The reason for choosing Abuja metropolis is because of its proximity to the researcher.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Introduction
This chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of the result obtained from questionnaires. The data gathered were presented according to the order in which they were arranged in the research questions and simple percentage were used to analyze the demographic information of the respondents while the chi square test was adopted to test the research hypothesis.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
Web-based library services will become more widespread and sophisticated as the web becomes common place throughout the entire world. Librarians should be expert in holding the hands of the users who are moving towards a new communication paradigm shift from face-to-face human contact to human machine interaction, from paper to electronic delivery, from text centered mode to multimedia and from physical presence to virtual presence. Library professionals must use web-based information services in an innovative manner and address the information requirements of the techno-savvy users (Tripathi and Kumar, 2010). Despite these changes in communication technology, the reference interview will remain at the heart of the reference transaction. To meet these challenges the librarians may play a leadership role in providing better web-based library services to their current techno savvy users. The findings from this study show that DUL is yet to exploit the full potential of the web. In fact, by looking at what other libraries have done, librarians can discover new ideas and learn how to develop and implement such web-based library services, for example, instant messaging reference services, weblogs, and wikis represent the new ultimate level of power for web-based library services.
Recommendation
The survey and the subsequent analysis of the data and the findings of the study have enabled the researchers to provide some practical suggestions for improving the web-based library services expected from study university libraries as given here under:
- Professional and technically qualified staffs need to be increased for developing web-based library services.
- Digital library portal can be created with Library 2.0 or Library 3.0.
- Outsourcing the present library services need to develop as web-based library services.
- Proper training for staff in web technology and digital literacy need to provide to develop new web-based library services.
- Providing table of contents of each book with its web catalogue; and user awareness programs are needed for web-based library services.
- Developing web forms for reference queries, to suggest a document and journal to library, circulation queries, and request of article (s) by e-mail.
- Dhaka University library are faced with various challenges of offering quality web-based library services to both generation X students and faculty. There is an urgent need for web-based library committee in DUL to strengthen web-based library services.
- DUL must continually develop effective web-based information literacy programs to provide a high degree of interactivity and flexibility to enhance the quality of web-based library services they offer.
- There is an urgent need to develop dynamic library websites, apply semantic technologies and ontologies. Ontology tries to resolve the problem of ambiguity in natural language and the problems that arise due to the use of transmission meanings, analogy, comparison or metaphor (Toleva, 2010).
- Users today are accustomed to the dynamic and interactive nature of the web, as well as social networking tools. Many of them use web tools to find the information they need (Wang, 2009). So, more RSS feeds, library wikis, instant messaging reference services, virtual library tours, online library and floor maps, discussion forums and listservs, multi-language support content to regional and international users, and increase more terminals for access the new power for web-based library services.
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