Richard J. Hartley

An overview of the e‐book marketplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the e‐book marketplace players and their services against a context in which e‐books are becoming an increasingly significant category of digital resource.Design/methodology/approach – The paper starts with a brief overview of the literature on the global e‐book market and e‐book business models offered by vendors to libraries. Analysis of the web sites of nine e‐book publishers and 11 e‐book aggregators was used as a basis for profiling the main features of e‐books (user‐oriented features and librarian‐ oriented features) and the services offered by e‐book publishers and e‐book aggregators. Key points from these profiles are discussed, and conclusions and recommendations for the future of the e‐book marketplace are offered.Findings – The e‐book market is under constant change and it is important to monitor its development, not just at national but also at international level. Currently, the majority of e‐book vendors market to libraries – t...

User satisfaction as a measure of system performance

It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimensional, subjective variable which can be affected by many factors other than performance of the system or searcher. This article draws on information retrieval and information systems literature in an attempt to understand what user satisfaction is, how it is measured, what factors affect it, and why findings on user satisfaction have been so varied and contradictory. It concludes with recommendations for future investigation of the use of user satisfaction as a measure of system performance.

Perspectives on the future of e-books in libraries in universities

This article reports research into the perceptions and predictions of academic librarians regarding the future role and development of e-books, and e-book collections and services. A number of recent studies reported in the literature review indicate increasing interest in e-books. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 academic librarians, in seven case study libraries. Most interviewees anticipated a significant growth in the size and role of e-book collections in academic libraries over the next five years. The actions and policies of each of the key stakeholder groups, e-book vendors (publishers and aggregators), academic libraries and users are viewed as pivotal to the future use of e-books in universities. The growing importance of e-books will have a number of consequences for academic libraries, in terms of the technologies that they make available to users, the use of library space, user education and staff workload.

Users and union catalogues

Union catalogues have had an important place in libraries for many years. Their use has been little investigated. Recent interest in the relative merits of physical and virtual union catalogues and a recent collaborative project between a physical and several virtual union catalogues in the United Kingdom led to the opportunity to study how users use and view union catalogues and to consider the views of librarians towards union catalogues. The research reported here used a mix of recorded searches, interviews and focus groups to understand user behaviour and views of union catalogues. The findings revealed a diversity of search approaches, the influence of the Web on user expectations and an almost complete lack of awareness of union catalogues on the part of potential users.

Query by Visual Example: Assessing the Usability of Content-Based Image Retrieval System User Interfaces

This paper reports a study designed to investigate the requirements of a user interface for a content-based image retrieval system, and presents the preliminary results of an inquiry into the usability of the query by visual example paradigm. Twenty eight evaluation sessions were conducted to test the usability of two user interfaces. The study was segmented by image type, user group and use function. Usability was measured using a combination of both objective and subjective measuring instruments: benchmark tasks, critical incidents, and the Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction (QUIS). Preliminary findings suggest that both user interfaces had an overall positive usability score, although there were a number of areas that would improve the overall score. The results also indicate that the efficacy of some currently used features are questionable.

Scientific communication in Libya in the digital age

This study seeks to understand the scientific communication activities of Libyan scientists, and their engagement with scientific publishing. The research embraces both formal and informal communication, and explores that behaviour in the context of a developing country, Libya. A mixed methods approach including desk research, a bibliometric study of recent scientific output, interviews with key informants, and a questionnaire survey with scientists is used to gather rich data and to generate deep insights into scientific communication behaviours. Findings suggest that Libyan scientists affirm the centrality of scientific communication to successful science, but that the nature of communication is influenced by national and other cultures, and in particular, Libyan scientists value informal scientific communication. They also both access and publish in e-journals and in open access sources but are aware of a range of barriers to scientific communication in the digital age.

Scientific publishing: a case study of Libyan scientists

Purpose – The paper aims to report on a research project that explores the extent and scope of scientific publishing, communication, and collaboration amongst Libyan scientists.Design/methodology/approach – The paper commences with a literature review on scientific communication and publishing, including a specific focus on such activities in developing countries. A bibliometric analysis of the papers published by scientists in research centres affiliated to Libyas National Centre for Scientific Research was conducted in order to investigate the extent and nature of scholarly communication of Libyan scientists.Findings – Libyan scientists are a community that works in research teams, largely comprised of scientists in Libya, but, which, on the other hand, is actively disseminating the findings of its research to a wider international audience. This is evident from the publications of 45 per cent of papers in English, and a significant level of publication in countries outside Libya. Further, the extent t...

A review of the library and information services in Greece: current developments that shape LIS education

This paper provides a brief review of the development of Greek libraries in order to provide a context for the later papers on education for library and information studies in Greece.

An Exploration of Users’ Needs for Multilingual Information Retrieval and Access

The need for promoting Multilingual Information Retrieval (MLIR) and Access (MLIA) has become evident, now more than ever, given the increase of the online information produced daily in languages other than English. This study aims to explore users’ information needs when searching for information across languages. Specifically, the method of questionnaire was employed to shed light on the Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduate students’ use of search engines, databases, digital libraries when searching as well as their needs for multilingual access. This study contributes in informing the design of MLIR systems by focusing on the reasons and situations under which users would search and use information in multiple languages.

Users’ Information Search Behavior in a Professional Search Environment:

Searching and retrieving information, especially in the context of a professional search environment, can be an arduous task. Professional search is defined as “interactive information retrieval performed by professionals in a specific domain” [1]. These searchers have competencies and skills in searching and as such demand high quality information retrieved and are willing to spend time to find the required information. This chapter aims to analyse research into users’ search behaviors in professional search enviroments. The method of systematic review was adopted and two types of studies were identified “system-centered” and “user-centered” studies. An emphasis was placed on the methods each type of study adopted to meet its purposes. It was found that system-centered studies employed mainly quantitative methods (Log analysis) to evaluate system’s performance and retrieval techniques whereas user-centered studies adopted mainly qualitative methods to provide an insight into users’ behaviors. In addition, system-centered studies examined users’ behavior as a series of clicks, search terms employed and features used to develop systems that satisfy user’s information needs. In contrast, user-centered studies explored users’ behavior with the view to identify the specific search processes, thoughts and decisions made while searching as well as the factors affecting their search behaviors. This chapter contributes to providing an understanding of both the methods and approaches adopted to study users’ behavior in a professional search environment.