Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of medical undergraduate students regarding their behavior towards use and non-use of e-books. It also elucidates their preferences between print and electronic book format. Design/methodology/approach It is a quantitative study based on survey method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from final year medical students of three medical colleges of Lahore, Pakistan. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse 232 useable questionnaires. Findings The findings indicate that the use and non-use of e-books is almost equal among students. The students who use e-books mostly access them through Google books, and they used e-books for academic purpose. Users were convinced about the benefits of e-books such as easy access, 24/7 availability and up-to-date information. However, users and non-users of e-books preferred to use printed version of books. Non-users identified that e-books often distract them because of different links on the website, and they do not want to change their habit of reading printed books. Moreover, they are satisfied with printed books available in their libraries and hesitant to read on screen. Research limitations/implications The present study is limited to the medical sciences; its results cannot be generalizing to other academic disciplines. Practical implications The findings of the study will assist the medical libraries to improve their e-books collection and also negotiate the publishers for its licence issues. The study will also encourage the librarians to acquire handheld devices and load them with e-books for their users. Originality/value This is believed to be the first study on the use of e-books in the perspective of medical students in Pakistan.

Public sector institutions in developing countries are going through major transformations because consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and demanding. This study presents the service quality of the Punjab Police using Mastrofski's six-dimensional policing model in the non-Western context of Pakistan by explaining the extent of service quality in the Punjab police. The survey-based approach was used to collect data from 360 citizens through developing an instrument based on Mastrofski's six dimensions. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis were used to empirically explain application of the six-dimensional model of policing. The findings suggest that the public are satisfied with the quality of service provided by the police, based on the six dimensions of the model used for this research. However, the research model is highly correlated in a non-Western setting. This research, for the first time, discusses the service quality of police in a Pakistani context, which will help public policy personnel to improve the overall service quality of the Punjab Police.

The purpose of this study is to report on a survey that was carried out to access the perception of the academic users, and their awareness about the use of e-books at existing level. The survey also seeks to find out the preferences of the users regarding the format for using books. A quantitative approach which employs a survey technique was used to collect information on e-books utilization habit among medical students. Statistical analyses were carried out on the data using Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). This study found that most of the undergraduate students have common habits as they read e-books for academic purpose and still preferred to read text books in print format. The factors; such as easy and round the clock access, non-consumption of energy through physical visit to the library and users friendly features offer a comfortable platform for the students to use the reference e-books. However, unreliable service, eye fatigue, requirement of username and password cause to feel uncomfortable with the service. Moreover, the role of librarian is perceived to be an important remedy for all the inconvenience incurred. Only 119 medical undergraduates participated in the study. Furthermore, these students are enrolled in 5th year MBBS in the oldest government sector medical colleges of Lahore. This study is important in terms of obtaining a better understanding of e-books utilization and to provide a rich insight from academic professional to enhance the e-books collection. This is believed to be the first published study about the utilization of e-books by the medical undergraduate students'.

No abstract

Purpose: Everyday life information seeking (ELIS) is essential for the mastery of life and plays a central role in the daily problem-solving activities of all human beings. This study aimed to investigate the everyday life information seeking of female university students residing at hostels in Lahore, Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach using a survey method was adopted to identify the dimensions of ELIS and to fill the paucity of research on the topic. Two-hundred and forty-eight female students living in various university and private hostels in Lahore, Pakistan, were surveyed, and the collected data was analyzed using Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Findings: Results of the study revealed that hostel living expanded the social circle of students, as it offered exposure to diverse multicultural social groups. Female students living in hostels required information related to their academic needs, safety concerns, social life, and self-help issues. They relied mainly on mobiles phones, the internet, social media, and inter-personal relationships for everyday information. Cultural differences, natural hesitation, language barriers, time concerns, and difficulty in identifying reliable information were the primary obstacles in meeting everyday life information needs. Originality/value: The findings of this study can be used as a premise for developing interventions and information services for female students that allow them to live comfortably in a safe environment in hostels and achieve their educational goals. The study results may also provide useful insights for university administrations to establish libraries in hostels to better cater to their female residents’ information needs.