Kanwal Ameen

Information and digital literacy: a stumbling block to development?: A Pakistan perspective

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the overall state of information and digital illiteracy (IDL) in developing countries and how it hampers the growth of individuals and nations. The case of Pakistan is to be used as an example to illustrate the endemic state of poor information and digital literacy. It also aims to discuss the general drawbacks to effective IDL in developing Asian countries.Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the objectives of the study, the literature review and result of Pakistan‐based surveys are used to indicate the state of IDL among university students and faculty in one country while integrating these findings with discussion.Findings – It was found that in Pakistan, as elsewhere, IL/IDL practice and training are not the norm in libraries or in education; they are not operational priorities. The low level of IL/IDL among the educated classes contributes to the status quo of information illiterate citizens. It also establishes that becoming “critical consumers” of information...

Issues and lessons learned in open source software adoption in Pakistani libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss key issues related to the adoption of open source software (OSS) in Pakistani libraries.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and principal authors first‐hand experience of Koha (OSS) implementation in Provincial Assembly Libraries of Pakistan under Pakistan Legislative Strengthen Project of United States Agency for International Development provide the information and insight for this paper.Findings – Adoption of OSS in libraries is just at a beginning stage in Pakistan, and only a few organizations have so far made their first move in this direction. The major identified issues affecting OSS adoption in Pakistani libraries are: social (cultural) disparity, conceptual confusions, digital divide, lack of technological, financial, and human development.Practical implications – The paper will help decision makers plan OSS applications in their libraries.Originality/value – This is the first paper on the topic in Pakistan and explores ...

Professional Activities, Needed Competencies and Training Needs of Medical Librarians in Pakistan.

The study aims to explore the professional activities, needed competencies and education/training needs of medical librarians in Pakistan. The following questions guided the study: what are the current professional activities of medical librarians in Pakistan? What is their perception of the competencies needed of medical librarians? And what are their training and education needs? Twenty medical librarians were identified through purposive sampling. An interview guide was prepared after expert review and pilot testing. Personal and telephone interviews were conducted to collect the data. Data were analysed using content analysis methods. Sixteen (80%) out of 20 medical librarians could be approached. The findings reveal that the medical librarians were generally involved in traditional kinds of professional activities. They were unaware of the latest trends in medical librarianship. Out of ten competencies mentioned by the respondents “ability to use ICT and integrated library software”, “verbal and written communication skills” and “extensive knowledge of Pub Med and other medical databases” were ranked first, second and third respectively. The opportunities of specialized education and training are also limited for medical librarians. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that formal training programs should be initiated for medical librarians in Pakistan by MELAP, CPSP and library schools.

Employability skills of LIS graduates in Pakistan: needs and expectations

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the opinion of young and senior library and information science (LIS) professionals in Pakistan on LIS curricula and its relevance to market needs to enhance employability.Design/methodology/approach – A mixed research method was used to collect data from professionals through two questionnaires, focus group and personal experiences.Findings – The findings reveal that the LIS curriculum offered at the University of the Punjab (PU) is up to date and well designed but it is not fully meeting the needs of young graduates and employers. Both groups were dissatisfied with employability skills due to lack of implementation of LIS curricula and shortage of specialized faculty members at the time of data collection in May 2008. The employers complained of weak communication, practical and presentation skills. They expect graduates with more multidimensional and market oriented skills. However, the school takes a lead in introducing new curricula among the rest.Research limitat...

Perceptions of LIS professionals regarding use of Pakistan National Digital Library databases

Purpose – This study sets out to investigate the perceptions of LIS professionals regarding the usage and satisfaction of the Pakistani Higher Education Commission (HEC) National Digital Library (NDL) databases. The NDL Programme provides free access to electronic resources (30 full text databases including 24,000 peer reviewed online journals and e‐books) of world‐renowned publishers to public and private sector universities and non‐profitable research and development organizations, in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach – The study used a multi‐method approach. The data‐gathering techniques used for the study were an online survey, group interviews, and observation. A total of 75 people from 40 institutions responded to the survey.Findings – The findings reveal that younger professionals showed more interest in the use of databases. A majority of users accessed these databases through the HEC web site. The respondents were more satisfied with electronic journals and were least satisfied with e‐books. I...

Perceptions of library and information science professionals about a National Digital Library programme

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the perceptions of library and information science professionals regarding a national digital library programme in Pakistan., – This study investigates the perceptions of LIS Professionals regarding the usage and satisfaction of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) National Digital Library (NDL) databases. This program provides free access to electronic resources including 30 full text databases with access to 24,000 peer reviewed online journals and e‐books to universities and non‐profitable research and development organizations in Pakistan. The study utilized an online survey, group interviews, and observations. Seventy‐five respondents from 40 institutions responded to the survey., – The findings reveal that younger professionals showed greater interest in the use of databases. A majority of users accessed these databases from the HEC website. Respondents were more satisfied with electronic journals and least satisfied with e‐books. The study also showed that the resources of the HEC NDL are underutilized and increased promotion and training is needed., – This study will be helpful for universities regarding the use of digital resources.

Needed competencies for collection managers and their development: Perceptions of university librarians

Purpose – This paper aims to discover perceptions of university librarians regarding the needed competencies for collection managers in Pakistan in the emerging digital paradigm.Design/methodology/approach – The mixed‐method approach was followed using a questionnaire and interview to collect data. The self‐completion questionnaire was sent to central libraries of 40 major, accredited universities of Pakistan and 30 responses were obtained. Then, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 20 librarians using interview‐guide. Interviews were transcribed to analyze and categorize according to the thematic approach. The interpretation and comments of the interviewees have also been reported to strengthen the arguments.Findings – It was found that the university libraries of Pakistan are gradually adopting a digital paradigm and providing access to hybrid collections. But, collection managers would not perceive fully the competencies needed to manage hybrid collections. It also appeared that there were me...

Usage patterns of Punjab University Library website: a transactional log analysis study

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.

Evolving paradigm and challenges of collection management (CM) in university libraries of Pakistan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore some major challenges in the area of collection management faced by university libraries in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology includes a literature review and a survey of university libraries in Pakistan in 2004.Findings – The challenges regarding collection management in university libraries in Pakistan are: handling the hybrid character of collections, service to users, training of collection management staff, collection evaluation, resource sharing and preservation.Originality/value – This paper provides an example of the challenges of university libraries in a developing country which must plan and develop a customized paradigm of library service which combines the traditional and modern services.

Developments in the philosophy of collection management : a historical review

Purpose – The literature on collection development largely discusses all kinds of managerial and practical issues. There appears to be a noteworthy gap in LIS literature regarding the philosophical and conceptual underpinning of the subject. The paper aims to attempt to explore the developments in the theoretical foundations of collection management practices in libraries.Design/methodology/approach – An extensive review of the available literature was made to synthesise the study. It illustrates the impacts of the developments in civilization, from ancient times to modern, on the collection management services of libraries.Findings – It was found that the philosophy underlying collection management work has expanded through the ages due to various factors.Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of social and technological changes on the philosophy of managing collections through the ages.