A User-based Measure in Evaluating Academic Digital Library

Usability evaluation of online digital libraries of educational institutions, 2023

Advancement in technology bestowed people with numerous invaluable gadgets and devices. Mobile phone is one of the most distinguished products of modern technology. The researchers, software engineers and scientists have joint venture to explore the possibility of mobile phone technology. Their toiling efforts are being consumed in broadening the application and usability of mobile phone. Many applications have been programmed to assist the process of learning for the convenience of teachers and learners. In this research, we aim at evaluating the usability of Online Digital Libraries of different Pakistani Universities. Indeed, there are different ways to evaluate the usability of online library applications, such as interviews, card sort and Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules, and Heuristics Nielson 10 golden rules etc. To evaluate and enhance the usability of mobile app, we used Nielson 10 golden rules. These set of rules and guidelines provide right direction and allow us to identify major usability issues. We have found the main usability issues in the mobile App libraries; if they are fixed, they can become more effective for the users to search their required materials.

Recognizing the significance of the usage construct as one of the aspect of usability assessment of the digital library (DL), this study further extends past studies by integrating this construct into commonly used criteria, namely, satisfaction, learnability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Building upon these constructs, an interrelationship model was developed and tested empirically using a survey research methodology. The learnability, effectiveness, and efficiency construct were hypothesized as significant predictors of usage and satisfaction. In addition, the usage construct was also hypothesized as a significant predictor of satisfaction. Data were collected from 320 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Information Management (FIM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Perdana. The results of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed all postulated hypotheses were fully supported. The contribution of the study can be assessed from the theoretical and practical perspectives. The established model can be further validated in other DL implementation while the validated instrument can be used by practitioner to gauge the usability of the DL.

2015

Recognizing the significance of the usage construct as one of the aspect of usability assessment of the digital library (DL), this study further extends past studies by integrating this construct into commonly used criteria, namely, satisfaction, learnability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Building upon these constructs, an interrelationship model was developed and tested empirically using a survey research methodology. The learnability, effectiveness, and efficiency construct were hypothesized as significant predictors of usage and satisfaction. In addition, the usage construct was also hypothesized as a significant predictor of satisfaction. Data were collected from 320 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Information Management (FIM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Perdana. The results of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed all postulated hypotheses were fully supported. The contribution of the study can be assessed from the theoretical and prac...

Purpose -This paper aimed to develop a usability evaluation model and associated survey tool in the context of academic libraries. This study not only proposed a usability evaluation model but also a practical survey tool tailored to academic library websites.

The focus of the study was the usability evaluation of the Punjab University Library (PUL) website. The main objectives of the study were to ascertain the feelings of website users along with the efficiency of the system with reference to its goals and tasks. Similarly, the adaptability of users to the web and its uses were also determined. The study also dealt with the assistance which may be provided to users to resolve system problems, difficulties and users' opinions about the consistency and standardization of the PUL website. To achieve these objectives, the study was processed through multi-phases. In the first stage a comprehensive literature review was conducted to understand the theoretical and technical aspects of the study. In the second phase, data were collected through a questionnaire instrument that was developed by Oulanov and Pajarillo (2001). A survey of four faculties was conducted which included 13 departments. The population was defined through stratified random sampling method. Data was collected from 300 respondents and was analyzed by using SPSS. Findings of the study reveal that PUL website proves favourable in two out of five criteria particularly in terms of 'affect' and 'efficiency'. The data show that affect and efficiency are more outcome oriented than the technical aspects of 'learnability', 'control' and 'helpfulness.' The PU library was rated according to a variety of degrees, specifically 'learnability' and control which was rated higher than 'helpfulness.' This is basically the performance measurement that focuses on the user and effect of this process on the users.

Proceedings of the 10th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL), 10th – 11th November, 2011, Brighton, UK. , 2011

Digital libraries are an important headstone for distant education. Thereby, modern digital libraries encounter not only the classical provision of documents, but also other related services like publishing portals or lists of hot topics. Another upcoming challenge is the connection with Web 2.0. Thus, the functionalities of online libraries will change and becoming more and more complex. Accordingly, the usability evaluation of these complex functionalities has to be assured and adapted to the new challenges. The proposed methodology of sophisticated usability evaluation follows a spiral model for prospective recommendations. The usability evaluation is done by an iterative process. This is in line with the state of the art and most modern models in usability engineering. However, in contrast to the existing models, we propose an explicit combination between systematic quantitative investigations and focused usability studies. The proposed multi-method approach addresses different important elements of a sophisticated scientific usability evaluation. The core elements of the cyclic process are repeated usability benchmarking, focused usability studies, derivation of recommendations and decision on the planned improvements in the face of the overall strategy. The repeated benchmarking allows a quantitative measurement of advantages and drawbacks as well as improvements and impairments. The quantitative benchmarking data can also help assigning the gravidity of usability-problems or the importance of a specific innovation. Depending on the requirements of the users and the developments of the digital library, the specific usability-studies could be qualitative or quantitative or a mixture of both. The overall aim of these studies is the formulation of concrete practical recommendations. The recommendations have to be aligned with the technical possibilities and strategic decisions. After the improvements and innovations were implemented, a new benchmarking cycle can take place. The four elements can be flexible combined. This procedure ensures not only a holistic and sophisticated usability evaluation, but also the openness for new challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The described approach will be exemplarily explained by the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

2003

This one-day tutorial is an introduction to usability evaluation for Digital Libraries. In particular, we will introduce Claims Analysis. This approach focuses on the designers' motivations and reasons for making particular design decisions and examines the effect on the user's interaction with the system. The general approach, as presented by Carroll and Rosson (1992), has been tailored specifically to the design of digital libraries. Digital libraries are notoriously difficult to design well in terms of their eventual usability.

Pakistan Journal of Library & Information Science, 2012

The focus of the study was the usability evaluation of the Punjab University Library (PUL) website. The main objectives of the study were to ascertain the feelings of website users along with the efficiency of the system with reference to its goals and tasks. Similarly, the adaptability of users to the web and its uses were also determined. The study also dealt with the assistance which may be provided to users to resolve system problems, difficulties and users' opinions about the consistency and standardization of the PUL website.

International Journal of Humanities and Arts Computing , 2012

This paper provides an overview of a case study research that investigated the use of Digital Library (DL) resources in two undergraduate classes and explored faculty and students’ perceptions of educational digital libraries. This study found that students and faculty use academic DLs primarily for textual resources, but turn to the open Web for visual and multimedia resources. The study participants did not perceive academic libraries as a useful source of digital images and used search engines when searching for visual resources. The limited use of digital library resources for teaching and learning is associated with perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, especially if considered in a broader information landscape, in conjunction with other library information systems, and in the context of Web resources. The limited use of digital libraries is related to the following perceptions: 1) Library systems are not viewed as user-friendly, which in turn discourages potential users from trying DLs provided by academic libraries; 2) Academic libraries are perceived as places of primarily textual resources; perceptions of usefulness, especially in regard to relevance of content, coverage, and currency, seem to have a negative effect on user intention to use DLs, especially when searching for visual materials.

British Journal of Educational Technology, 2005

This paper attempted to develop and validate an instrument that measures users' views about the usability of digital libraries. Users' views toward the usability of digital libraries may serve as the major conduit to user acceptance and satisfaction, thus promoting positive learning experiences. The instrument, digital library usability, consisted of 12 items that described usability properties of digital libraries. The content validity of the instrument was determined by a panel of experts. The instrument was administered to 293 subjects. The construct validity was determined by conducting a set of statistical procedures, including a principal component analysis. The results revealed a single component solution that assessed one particular trait. All items of the instrument achieved high loading values indicating that each item contributed to the assessment of the single component that accounted for a high variation among the items. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was .96. These results suggest that the digital library usability instrument is a valid and reliable instrument that can measure users' views about the usability of digital libraries. This instrument can be the basis for future research regarding users' views toward the usability of digital libraries.