Users’ views about the usability of digital libraries

Abstract

This study examined users' views about the usability of digital librariescurrent and perceived importance. Age, gender, prior experience with the Internet, college status, and digital library proficiency are the independent variables. Users' current views about the usability of digital libraries and users' perceived importance of digital library usability are treated as dependent variables. The Digital Library Usability Survey, a Likert-type instrument developed by Koohang, was used. The study's participants were 107 undergraduate students enrolled in an interdisciplinary and cross-functional degree programme at a large state university in the Midwest, USA. The collected data were analysed through statistical procedures. The overall results yielded significant differences for the variables of users' prior experience with the Internet and users' proficiency level with the digital library. The univariate results indicated a significant difference on the users' perceived importance of digital library usability. However, digital library proficiency produced a significant difference on users' current views about the digital library's usability. These results are discussed. Recommendations are made for practice and future research.

Library Usability in Higher Education: How User Experience Can Form Library Policy

“…There are then questions about library use in order to decide whether the participant is a regular or infrequent, experienced or inexperienced library user. The next part of the questionnaire is adapted from Koohang and Ondracek's [23] research into users' views of digital libraries. The questionnaire, designers state that, it is "… a highly valid and reliable instrument".…”

Development of a Service Framework for Library Users from Customer Relationship Management Perspective

“…Considering the importance of users to libraries, researchers have proposed that library management consider user needs as well as customer expectation and satisfaction in setting management goals (Green, 1990;Millson-Martula and Menon, 1995;Heckart, 1999;Hernon et al, 1999;Flanagan and Horowitz, 2000;Cullen, 2001;Martensen and Gronholdt, 2003;Shi et al, 2004). Since the emergence of a network environment, libraries have to pay close attention to their customers' opinions (Cullen, 2001;Van Groenendaal, 1997;Xie, 2006;Koohang and Ondracek, 2005). Users have their own library service requirements in the same way that they make demands as consumers in the realm of business.…”

A Conceptual Framework of Library Reader Service from Customer Relationship Management Perspective

“…Since the emergence of network environment, libraries have to pay close attention to their customers" voices [35] and viewpoints [36][37][38]. Readers have their own requirement as individuals of library service, customer focus conform the belief of academic library just like consumers to business.…”