The impact of new information services on teaching, learning and research at the University of Zululand Library

Keywords: Library instruction, information literacy, research support, academic libraries, University of Zululand

Abstract

The rapidly-changing academic environment demands innovative library products, facilities and services. Libraries have to navigate shrinking budgets, currency fluctuations, and the high cost of print and e-resources. Other challenges include the growing need for research support services, improved information literacy, information client support services, and marketing of library services using social media. At the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) Library, information librarians have played a pivotal role in the training of the academic community on modern information services for teaching, learning and research support. The purpose of this paper is to report on the perceived impact of the new information services initiated by information librarians and to establish how these services have made a difference in the teaching, learning and research activities at the university. A case study of UNIZULU Library was conducted using survey data collected from a sample population of academic staff and a random selection of evaluation forms that were completed by the students. The results of the survey showed a positive response from UNIZULU Library users to the newly-developed information services system. The paper concludes by noting the challenges to the services and suggesting areas for improvement.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Lyudmila Ocholla, University of Zululand
Senior Librarian, UNIZULU Library
Grace Mutsvunguma, University of Zululand
Information Librarian, UNIZULU Library
Zanele Hadebe, University of Zululand
Information Librarian, UNIZULU Library

References

ACRL. 2011. Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, Association of College and Research Libraries. [Online]. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/standardslibraries (29 April 2016).

ACRL. 2015. Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. [Online]. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework (9 January 2017).

Adeleke, D.S. and Emeahara, E.N. 2016. Relationship between information literacy and use of electronic information resources by postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan. Library philosophy and practice. [Online]. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1381 (12 January 2017).

Appleton, L. 2005. Examination of the impact of information-skills training on the academic work of health-studies students: a single case study. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 22(3): 164-172.

Auckland, M. 2012. Reskilling for research: an investigation into the role and skills of subject and liaison librarians required to effectively support the evolving information needs of researchers. Research libraries UK. [Online]. http://www.rluk.ac.uk/wp- content/uploads/2014/02/RLUK-Re-skilling.pdf (10 January 2017).

Bowles-Terry, M. 2012. Library instruction and academic success: a mixed-methods assessment of a library instruction program. Evidence Based Library Information Practice, 7(1): 82-95.

Bryan, J.E. 2016.The preparation of academic librarians who provide instruction: a comparison of first and second career librarians. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 42: 340-354.

Han, S. Wong, R. and Webb, T. 2011. Uncovering meaningful correlation between student academic performance and library material usage. College and Research Libraries, 72(4): 361-370.

Julien, H., Detlor, B., Serenko, A. Willson, R. and Lavallee, M. 2009. Outcomes of information literacy instruction for undergraduate business students: Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 46(2): 1- 18.

Kleinveldt, L.T, Schutte, M. and Stilwell, C. 2016. Embedded librarianship and Blackboard usage to manage knowledge and support blended learning at a South African university of technology. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, 82 (1): 27-38. DOI:10.7553/82-1-1592 (9 January 2017).

Kot, F.C. and Jones, J.L. 2014. The impact of library resource utilization on undergraduate students' academic performance: a propensity score matching design. College and Research Libraries, 76(5): 566-586.

Liu, Q., Lo, P. and Itsumura, H. 2016. Measuring the importance of library user education: a comparative study between Fudan University and the National Taiwan Normal University. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 42(6): 644-654. DOI:10.1016/j.acalib.2016.08.009.

Madukoma, E., Onuoha, U.D., Omeluzor, S.U. and Ogbuiyi, S. 2013. Library instruction and academic performance of undergraduates at Babcock University, Nigeria. Contemporary Humanities, 6: 39-58.

Matthew, J.R. 2015. Library assessment in higher education. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited.

Ocholla, D.N. and Ocholla L. 2016. Does open access prevent plagiarism in Higher Education? African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science, 26(2): 189-202.

Ocholla, L. 2016. The new roles of university libraries in supporting scholarly communication and research: a South African university library perspective. [Online]. http://www.gpntb.ru/win/inter-events/crimea2016/disk/003.pdf (25 July 2016).

Pasipamire, N. 2015. Research support by subject librarians in selected state university libraries in Zimbabwe: accommodating new trends. In The quest for deeper meaning of research support. R. Raju, A. Adam, G. Johnson, C. Miller and J. Pietersen, eds. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Libraries. 61-79. DOI:10.15641/0-7992- 2522-8 (17 August 2016).

Pham, H.T. and Tanner, K. 2014. Collaboration between academics and librarians: a literature review and framework for analysis. Library Review, 63(1/2): 15-45.

Raju, R. and Schoombee, L. 2013. Research support through the lens of transformation in academic libraries with reference to the case of Stellenbosch University Libraries. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, 79(2): 27-38. [Online]. http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/155 (24 July 2016).

Robabi, H. and Arbabisarjou, A. 2015. Computer literacy among students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(4): 1-16. [Online]. http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/gjhs/article/view/40274/23987 (12 January 2017).

Schoombee, L. 2013. Research support services at an academic library. Presented at the University of the Free State 27 November. [Online]. http://www.slideshare.net/luciaschoombee/research-support-services-at-an-academic-library-presented-at-ufs-27112013 (24 May 2016).

Schwartz, M. 2016. Top skills for tomorrow’s librarians: careers 2016. Library Journal. [Online]. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/03/careers/top-skills-for-tomorrows-librarians-careers-2016 (3 September 2016).

Shao, X. and Purpur, G. 2016. Effects of information literacy skills on student writing and course performance. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 42(6): 670-678.

Shreeve, S. and Chelin, J. 2014. Value and impact of librarians’ interventions on student skills. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 20 (2): 204-232. DOI:10.1080/13614533.2014.906351 (10 January 2017).

Tise, E., Raju, R. and Adam, A. 2015. From research support to research partners. In The quest for deeper meaning of research support. R. Raju, A. Adam, G. Johnson, C. Miller and J. Pietersen, eds. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Libraries. 1-12. DOI:10.15641/0-7992- 2522-8 (5 August 2016).

University of Zululand. 2016. Strategic Plan 2016-2021. [Online]. http://www.unizulu.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/UniZulu-Strat-Plan- 2016-2021.pdf (7 January 2017).

Vance, J. M., Kirk, R. and Gardner, J. G. 2012. Measuring the impact of library instruction on freshman success and persistence. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(1), 49-58.

Westbrock, T. and Fabian, S. 2010. Proficiencies for instruction librarians: is there still a disconnect between professional education and professional responsibilities? College & Research Libraries, 71: 569-590. [Online]. http://crl.acrl.org/content/71/6/569.full.pdf (25 July 2016).

Wong, S. H.R. and Cmor, D. 2011. Measuring association between library instruction and graduation GPA. College & Research Libraries, 72(5), 464-473.

Published
2017-02-21
Section
Research Articles