Training for Digital Reference: A South African Experience

Penzhorn, Cecilia

doi:10.1515/libr.2007.76

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…Penzhorn and Fourie (2004) discussed the challenges in web-based teaching of reference work based on their experiences at the Unitversity of Pretoria and identified the digital divide as a major hurdle in web-based teaching. In a later article, Penzhorn (2007) shared the experience of teaching a course about digital reference that aimed at equipping students with the necessary skills and competencies to cope in the digital reference environment.…”

Section: Reference Services In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference service evaluation at an African academic library: the user perspective

Buer

2015

Library Review

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Purpose: This paper provides a detailed discussion of a large-scale library reference evaluation study conducted at the University of Education, Winneba (UAE) in Ghana. The study seeks to evaluate the reference service from the user perspective, focusing on how users use and perceive the service.Design/methodology/approach: Self-administered survey was used as the data collection instrument. One thousand questionnaires were distributed to library users in a three-week period, and the response rate was 63.7%. Findings:The reference service had a high non-use rate of 42.6%, which was primarily attributed to library users' self-sufficiency and lack of awareness of the service. The top three motivations for library users to use the reference service were class assignments, personal interests, and using library facilities. Although their overall altitude was positive, users felt that reference librarians were more successful at exhibiting customer service qualities than performing tasks related to identifying users' information needs and searching/locating relevant information to fulfill the needs. Practical implications:The knowledge gained from this study will deepen the understanding of how the reference service is utilized and perceived by library users and offer insights on how to enhance the services to optimize the user experience.Originality/value: This study yields an enriched view of reference service provision in the African context. Its findings will help other academic libraries in Africa successfully plan and implement their own reference evaluation efforts and ultimately encourage more evidence-based library practices in the developing world.

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Section: Reference Services In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference service evaluation at an African academic library: the user perspective

Buer

2015

Library Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Training for Digital Reference: A South African Experience

Cited by 1 publication

References 12 publications

Reference service evaluation at an African academic library: the user perspective

Reference service evaluation at an African academic library: the user perspective

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