Purpose – This paper aims to assess the usage patterns of a university library website to find out user’s behaviour of monthly use, its top most used resources and services and search phrases used to reach the library website. Design/methodology/approach – Transactional log analysis (TLA) – an unobtrusive research method – was used to identify and analyse data of website-using patterns. The log data of website use from January 2011 to March 2011 were analysed for this study. Findings – The findings of this study revealed that the university library website was heavily used on campus by users; however, it was used by a significant number of clients residing off-campus. Free scholarly journals, resources downloaded, e-journals, e-books and donated personal collections were among the top most used resources and services. However, free scholarly journals were used more than subscribed e-journals accessible on-campus only. Originality/value – This study first used the TLA method to trace user behaviour of website use in a local scenario. Assessing the usage of e-resources is imperative to determine the effectiveness of the library website in providing these services to its on-campus and distant users. The findings of this study are valuable for librarians and webmasters of the library website to redesign and reorient their services.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure service quality of academic libraries of a major university from students' perspectives and to determine libraries' own performance towards meeting users' expectations.Design/methodology/approachResearch settings of the study were University of the Punjab's academic libraries, excluding the main library. A survey method was chosen as a method of investigation and a modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to explore users' desired and perceived service levels along a seven‐point Likert scale. The sample of the study was selected using stratified random sampling through proportional allocation.FindingsThe results revealed that users' expectations were high as compared to their perceptions, and a discrepancy was found between expectations and perceptions of all 22 SERVQUAL statements. The overall service quality and satisfaction of the university's libraries was found to be somewhat good. Users were satisfied with library staff's courteous and caring behavior. However, university librarians desperately need to take remedial actions to improve library staff's competency and physical facilities. Users preferred the “tangibles” dimension more than other dimensions.Originality/valueThis study is the first to measure the service quality of the university's academic libraries and is particularly significant for librarians and university administrators who wish to explore the strengths, weaknesses and threats of quality library services. The findings will assist them to review their service policies and take steps to improve service quality of a university's libraries.

Purpose This study aims to explore the evidence-based patterns of e-journal usage, such as the most used and least used databases, at a public-sector university in Pakistan, by analysing scientists’ usage of databases over time. Design/methodology/approach Through transaction log analysis, the frequencies of page views, sessions, session duration and size of the used data were calculated through SAWMILL software and entered into MS Excel. Findings The results revealed that the broad databases of science and engineering were being used more by users as compared to the narrower e-journal databases. Furthermore, the users were mostly accessing the e-journal databases from the university’s central library and its various academic departments. Early morning hours, working days and start of the academic year were found to be the most active timings of e-journal database utilisation. Practical implications The results of the study will help the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and information professionals in better access management of databases. Originality/value This study was conducted to check the feasibility of a PhD project’s first phase and presents the frequencies of HEC e-journal databases’ usage by using transaction log analysis method. The results will be used in preparing interview guide and sample selection for interview. Other Central Asian studies used COUNTER reports provided by publishers for log analysis instead of using raw log data.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to investigate the academic scientists' scholarly use of information sources, the disciplinary differences in their use and the barriers encountered, particularly while using journals.Design/methodology/approach -A quantitative research design based on the survey method was used to achieve the objectives of this study. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all the academic staff of three disciplinesscience, life sciences and pharmacy. Together, they constituted 24 departments of the University of the Punjab. This oldest and largest public sector university was selected as a sample.Findings -The findings showed that e-journals, e-reports and online reference sources were frequently used. The disciplinary differences were found with regard to the use of e-journals and e-books. Users of e-journals lacked skills of advanced searching and were not able to determine the quality of e-journals. Respondents faced certain barriers in usage such as payment of e-journal articles not available through the Library, slow internet speed and lack of information literacy instructions program.Originality/value -Previous researchers conducted studies that were focused mostly on the academic scientists' perceptions and the extent of electronic information sources' use. Researchers in Pakistan mostly examined students and research scholars' use of electronic information sources and very few studies were conducted to investigate academic scientists' scholarly information seeking behavior. This study is valuable, as it investigated the scholarly use of information sources by academic scientists and particularly disciplinary differences in their use, digital literacy skills and the barriers encountered while using e-journals.

Many libraries have adopted usability testing as a standard practise for ensuring that their online presence is user-friendly and accessible. This study attempt to test usability of LibGuides platform at Shalamar Teaching Hospital, Lahore. The purpose of this qualitative research is to examine the usability, user experience (UX), and information architecture (IA) of LibGuides in the institutional context of Shalamar Medical & Dental College, Lahore, The research explored users’ views and was then extended to discuss the general utility of the Shalamar LibGuides. In this aspect, the study is remarkable because there is a paucity of literature on the subject. Keywords: user-centered design, subject guides, LibGuides, Pakistan, usability; research guides; Medical libraries