MOBILE LIBRARY SERVICES (PROBLEMS, CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, TECHNOLOGY)
Abstract
There has been a lot of work done in this area to address the challenges of implementing technology-based services in academic libraries. This study examines some of the difficulties associated with delivering library services via mobile technology (m-tech) platforms. In order to conduct this research, a survey research design and a mixed method approach were used.
The study’s top m-tech-based library services include mobile digital repositories, mobile online public access catalogues, referencing services, SMS alerts, selective information dissemination, and mobile instructional guides and tours. According to the study, insufficient ICT infrastructure, bureaucratic processes, poor internet bandwidth, a lack of
IT experts and staff, a lack of a policy framework, erratic or unstable power supply, a lack of support from university management, and financial constraints prevented the full provision of library services through m-tech across the library studies. Based on these findings, this study makes some recommendations to help overcome some of the challenges associated with implementing m-tech-based library services in academic libraries.
INTRODUCTION
According to Liu and Briggs (2015), m-techs assist and provide a medium for information dissemination and retrieval through the use of handheld mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, e-book readers, iPods, and PDAs, among others. Many mobile devices now include a variety of applications, functionalities, and unique features that can be used to access a wide range of digital content.
According to one source, “most mobile devices are now built with features capable of accessing and processing information just like desktop computers” (Khaddage & Latteman, 2013, p. 7). According to Saravani and Haddow (2017), as the demand for online access to information grows regardless of the clientele’s location, academic libraries have been actively accepting initiatives to digitize and preserve physical materials, store them in online repository systems, and encourage their free access via mobile platforms with the help of m-tech.
A body of literature on m-tech based library services, such as Canuel and Crichton (2011), Hallam (2009), and Latham and Poe (2012), demonstrates that academic library settings globally are shifting from the routine traditional environment to the mobile environment.
Most academic libraries have been involved in early and ongoing efforts to assess the changing nature of libraries, both now and in the future, and critically align their technological strategies to reflect on these innovative changes, particularly in the area of mobile-based library services that are m-tech driven.
Despite increasing student use of mobile devices and the availability of mobile broadband and WIFI internet almost everywhere in developing countries (Rogers, 2012), academic libraries in Ghana have yet to fully capitalize on this opportunity and provide m-tech based library services.
According to the Jumia Annual Mobile Report (2018), mobile device subscriptions in Ghana are expected to reach 40 million in the next two years. According to the report, Ghana’s mobile device usage will increase by more than 130 percent by 2021, and Ghanaians are currently among the top mobile device users in Africa.
However, there is a lack of rigorous research that has identified the challenges associated with the adoption and implementation of m-tech based library services in academic libraries, particularly in Ghana. For example, in a study to determine the usage of m-techs for social media-based library services in a Ghanaian university, Akeriwa,
Penzhorn, and Holmner (2014) discovered that not only do respondents have a favorable attitude toward mobile phone-based library services, but that this service can also be offered unhindered with the right infrastructure and technical know-how of personnel. As a result, this study evaluates the challenges associated with the delivery of library services via m-tech platforms.
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MOBILE LIBRARY SERVICES (PROBLEMS, CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, TECHNOLOGY)
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