Instruction and Help Services in the Academic Library Web Sites and Web Pages in Sri Lanka: a Content Analysis

Purpose – The present study was carried out with the intention of examining what type of instruction applications and help tools have been used to serve clientele via academic library websites and web pages, and how Sri Lankan academic libraries instruct and help users via their library websites and web pages.Design/methodology/approach – A sample study comprised only 14 academic library websites and web pages out of 223, which were accessible and necessarily presented instruction applications and help tools. Two coding sheets were prepared separately for instruction and help to include classified data, and then the frequency counted from each category by browsing the sample recorded in the coders for analysis.Findings – The results confirmed that the quality of academic library websites in Sri Lanka in providing online instruction and help was dependent on different variables. The development of above online services remains in its infancy. Most important instruction applications and help tools have not ...

[1]  K. Xue,et al.  A content analysis of public relations literatures from 1999 to 2008 in China , 2009 .

[2]  Camille McCutcheon,et al.  Tales untold The connection between instruction and reference services , 2001 .

[3]  Leif Kajberg,et al.  A content analysis of library & information science serial literature published in Denmark, 1957–1986 , 1996 .

[4]  Tammy S. Sugarman,et al.  Play to Win! Using Games in Library Instruction to Enhance Student Learning , 2005 .

[5]  Ruth Dickstein,et al.  Web tutorials and scalable instruction: testing the waters , 2002 .

[6]  Michael Lorenzen.  A Brief History of Library Information in the United States of America. , 2001 .

[7]  Li Zhang,et al.  The Efficacy of Computer-Assisted Instruction versus Face-to-Face Instruction in Academic Libraries: A Systematic Review , 2007 .

[8]  David W. Lewis,et al.  Traditional reference is dead, now let's move on to important questions , 1995 .

[9]  N. S. Harinarayana,et al.  Web 2.0 features in university library web sites , 2010, Electron. Libr..

[10]  Steven D. Zink,et al.  Reference librarian of the future , 1991 .

[11]  Patrick Ragains.  A Primer on Developing and Using Course-Related Library Web Pages , 2001 .

[12]  Susan McMullen,et al.  Usability testing in a library web site redesign project , 2001 .

[13]  Janneka L. Guise.  Toward a template for systematic reference and instruction programme analysis , 2005 .

[14]  Hua Yi.  Library instruction goes online: An inevitable trend , 2005 .

[15]  Chen Xu,et al.  The Academic Library Meets Web 2.0: Applications and Implications , 2009 .

[16]  Saeed Rezaei Sharifabadi,et al.  How digital libraries can support e-learning , 2006, Electron. Libr..

[17]  Patricia Fravel Vander Meer.  Pushing the limits: creative web use in libraries related to instruction , 2000 .

[18]  Nancy H. Dewald.  Transporting Good Library Instruction Practices into the Web Environment: An Analysis of Online Tutorials. , 1999 .

[19]  Paula Warnken.  The Impact of Technology on Information Literacy Education in Libraries , 2004 .

[20]  Klaus Krippendorff,et al.  Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology , 1980 .

[21]  Chutima Sacchanand,et al.  Development of a web-based self-training package for information retrieval using the distance education approach , 2006, Electron. Libr..

[22]  Wilfried Bos,et al.  Content analysis in empirical social research , 1999 .

[23]  Axel Schmetzke,et al.  Web accessibility at university libraries and library schools , 2001 .

[24]  Ann Grafstein,et al.  The Evolution of Academic Libraries: The Networked Environment , 2005 .