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Student library use: a study offaculty perceptions in a
Malaysian universityAdnan Ali Adikata
Islamic University, Kampala, Uganda
Mumtaz A. AnwarDepartment of Library and Information Science,
College of Social Sciences,
Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
AbstractPurpose The purpose of the paper was to examine the
importance faculty members place onstudent library use and their
self-perceived role in motivating students to use the library.
Design/methodology/approach A modified and Arabised version of
Bakers (1996) instrument
was administered to all full-time faculty teaching Islamic
Studies disciplines at International IslamicUniversity
Malaysia.
Findings The respondents consider student library use, making
library-based assignments andlibrarians role as important. They are
not fully satisfied with the students library use
skills,availability of information resources, and the value given
to the library by university management.They expect librarians to
provide, in addition to assisting students and faculty, a
comfortableacademic environment in the library.
Research limitations/implications This study was carried out
with faculty members of IslamicStudies disciplines at one
university. Further studies on similar and more general populations
mustbe conducted in order to understand the situation fully.
Practical implications Librarians are urged to respond
proactively to the needs of studentsand faculty, to adopt a strong
marketing strategy, and to develop general and
course-integratedinformation literacy programmes.
Originality/value Bakers (1996) instrument, modified to suit the
context of the study, was used
for the first time in a developing country. This will stimulate
research in similar countries. AnArabised version was prepared
which can be used in Arab countries for further research.
Keywords Library users, Students, Assignments, Librarians
Paper type Research paper
IntroductionLibraries have always played an important role in
teaching, learning, and researchprocesses. However, it has been
found that not all students consider the library ascritical to
their studies, especially at the undergraduate level. Baker (1997)
concludedthat students mainly use libraries to accomplish course
assignments or self-intellectual development. However, a meaningful
use of the library in learning isdependent on the facultys
awareness, recognition, and understanding of its role in
theacademic achievement of students. A number of studies have been
conducted on theperceptions of faculty members regarding student
use of libraries, but there is a lackof literature on this topic
dealing with developing countries.
This study was designed to examine the importance faculty
members place onstudent library use, the motivating factors behind
faculty members inclinationtowards making and requiring
library-based assignments, and the role andresponsibilities of
faculty members as well as librarians in supporting and
guidingstudents on how to use a library. It focused on seeking
answers to the followingquestions:
LR55,2
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Received 14 May 2005Reviewed 6 July 2005Revised 1 October
2005Accepted 14 October 2005
Library Review
Vol. 55 No. 2, 2006
pp. 106-119
E Emerald Group Publishing Limited0024-2535
DOI 10.1108/00242530610649602
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0024-2535.htm
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N What importance do faculty members place on a students use of
the library?
N What importance do faculty members place on making assignments
that requiretheir students to use the library?
N
What roles do faculty members see for themselves in guiding and
supportingstudents in using the library?
N What roles do faculty members see for librarians in guiding
and supportingstudents in using the library?
Previous researchIt has been suggested that the students
interest in using library resources isdetermined by, more than any
other factor, the value the classroom instructor attachesto library
research (Hardesty, 1995) and that it is only when the faculty
themselves areaware of library services that they can develop a
positive attitude towards library useand design assignments for
students that necessitate use of library resources (Wrice,
1996). Cannon (1994), in a study of 565 full-time faculty
members, found that theyoverwhelmingly agreed that library research
was an important aspect in theirdisciplines. However, Thomas (1994)
found out that faculty members stronglybelieved that students have
to use the library and expected them to learn how to uselibrary
resources on their own. Hardy (1992) concluded that library
services to facultymembers may act as inducements in motivating
them to design library-basedassignments. He argued that knowledge
of faculty members information needs is ofgreat importance to the
librarians whose resourcefulness inspires the faculty membersto
emphasise library usage in their lectures and give library-based
assignments totheir students.
Baker (1996, 1997), who investigated the level of importance
faculty place on libraryuse, identified the reasons for which
faculty require students to use the library and
examined the faculty members and librarians role in supporting
student library use.He concluded that faculty see educational value
in having their students use thelibrary, but do not frame their
support around the broader reasons for supportinginformation
literacy which are usually cited by librarians and information
specialists(Baker, 1997). His respondents indicated having a
comprehensible sense of obligationin motivating students to want to
use the library and designing assignments thatrequire students to
refer to the library.
In tertiary education, students do not solely depend on their
teachers for all courserequirements; rather they build upon
whatever is provided to them by the faculty invarious classes.
Wells (1995) found that 41 per cent of the respondents were
highlibrary users while 37 per cent were medium users and concluded
that student libraryuse reflected the way each course was
conducted. Sellen and Jirouch (1984) suggestedthat successful use
of the sophisticated library resources by students for
eitherresearch purposes or course material enrichment required the
necessary knowledgeand appropriate skills to be able to utilise
these resources effectively. Coombs andHoughton (1995), who tried
to identify student information use skills, found that moststudents
perception of their own ability to use a range of information tools
was highand promising. Kunkel, Weaver and Cook (1996), who assessed
the library skills of245 undergraduate students, discovered that,
while working on assignments, lowerlevel students felt confused
regarding the scope of the library resources at theirdisposal.
Likewise, Mellon (1986), who explored students sentiments as
they
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accomplished research papers and assignments for the first time
in a university, foundthat most students felt that their
library-use skills were inadequate while theyconsidered their
senior colleagues competencies as satisfactory. The
studentsreported feeling embarrassed, frightened, confused, lost
and defenceless whenever
they found themselves in the library to accomplish a course
assignment.Faculty members are considered to be the inspiring and
motivating factor instudent library use. The central position
enjoyed by faculty members as regardsstudent library use seems not
to be shared by any other party. The roles of facultymembers in
student library use are also considered to be important by
facultythemselves and are reflections of their self-perceived
responsibility and perceptionstowards student library use. Kunkel
et al. (1996) established that faculty membershave a central
position in developing library use skills and motivating students
to usethe library. They maintained that faculty members could have
a still greater role toplay in the development of library use among
students especially by providingassignments that require library
use. Another study of undergraduate studentsconcluded that
student-faculty interactions and engaged writing activities had
positive effects on library use (Whitmore, 2001).Andrews (1991)
found that most students learnt how to use the library while
fulfilling a group work assignment or while involved in active
teaching, from friendsand colleagues who provided them with
information regarding available services. Hefelt that the feeling
among faculty members was that it was not their responsibility
tomake sure that their students develop library skills. On the
contrary, Baker (1997)concluded that faculty members had a clear
sense of their responsibility inencouraging students to use the
library through designing assignments that requirestudents to refer
to the library. However, he found that 30 per cent of his
respondentsindicated not to have designed library assignments while
24 per cent made some otherunspecified types of assignments. Wells
(1995) contended that undergraduate studentsin a university
environment saw their main aim in terms of academic success and
their use of library resources was influenced mostly by the
evaluation and teachingmethods of library-oriented faculty members.
The impact of teaching methods, facultymembers expectations, and
award of grades for the extra knowledge exhibited bystudents were
singled out as contributing factors to undergraduate academic
success.
McNally and Kuhlthau (1994) stated that the role of a librarian
involves more thanproviding answers to individual questions.
Academic librarians, they argued, mustteach students how to analyse
information problems and structure their searches sothat they are
able to find their own answers. Leckie (1996) revealed that some
facultymembers included the expertise of librarians while designing
assignments, so thatstudents could refer to them and seek their
assistance in narrowing down a topic,finding and evaluating a
citation and locating the relevant documents. Leckie andFullerton
(1999) investigated faculty attitudes and pedagogical practices
related toinformation literacy at two Canadian universities.
Seventy-seven per cent of their 233respondents considered their
first and second year students information literacy skillspoor
while rating their third and fourth year students skills as
satisfactory or good. Amajority of the respondents did not make use
of library instructional services. It wasfound that a fairly large
proportion of faculty (39 per cent) would prefer thatlibrarians
assume primary responsibility for information literacy. Al-Qallaf
(2000)studied the perceptions of 180 faculty members at Kuwait
University regarding theinformation literacy skills of
undergraduate students. Her respondents believed thattheir students
abilities to find, retrieve, evaluate and use information were
severely
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limited in the lower years and increased in the upper years. The
respondents made alimited use of library instruction but were
receptive to it. They were interested inmaking library-based
assignments but noted a low level of collaboration betweenfaculty
and librarians.
Ivey (1994), who surveyed faculty members perceptions of
academic librarians,found that 70 per cent of the faculty
considered the assistance rendered to them bylibrarians positively.
Julien and Given (2002) investigated librarians attitudes
towardsfaculty-librarian relationships regarding information
literacy by conducting contentanalysis of the related postings on
the ILI-L listserv covering the period fromSeptember 1995 to
December 2002. They discovered that librarians felt that there
werecommunication problems between the faculty and librarians, had
a negativeassessment of faculty members attitudes, and believed
that faculty did notunderstand librarians.
In a paper presented at an interactive library assignment
workshop, Mosley (1998)stated that with the growth of information
resources, many faculty membersunderstood the need for information
literacy. However, most of the faculty members
seemed to be uncertain about how to incorporate library skills
in their courses. Sheasserted that it was the librarians role to
educate the faculty on how to designeffective library-based
assignments and guide students in the effective utilisation
oflibrary resources for accomplishing such assignments. Feldman and
Sciammarella(2000) who surveyed the faculty at six community
colleges of the City University ofNew York found that although a
majority of their respondents did not use formalinformation
literacy methods, they used library-based assignments. The
studyconcluded that more effective communication and mutual respect
between facultymembers and librarians would reinforce the
educational experience for students andprovide them with a richer
learning environment. In addition, Baker (1997) felt thatthe
librarians must be at the forefront in teaching students how to
find information.Faculty members strongly felt that, due to the
significance of library skills in
increasing students self-esteem and self-confidence, the
librarians have an importantrole in teaching students the processes
of finding information.
Research on faculty perceptions towards student library use is
scarce. With the fewexceptions, most of the studies examined
faculty members perceptions and studentlibrary use in isolation
from each other although they are interrelated. Bakers (1996)study
was one of those investigations that examined faculty perceptions
and studentlibrary use as a totality. Due to the importance of this
issue, it was decided to examinethis subject in a different
environment.
ProceduresThe objective of this study was to investigate faculty
members perceptions towardsstudent library use. It was conducted
among all full-time faculty members from threeIslamic Studies
departments at the International Islamic University Malaysia
(IIUM).These departments were chosen due to their perceived
traditional approach todelivering education. The total number of
potential respondents was 48. Bakers (1996)instrument consisting of
20 statements was slightly modified, with permission, bydropping
one statement and changing or adding some words to suit the setting
of thisinvestigation. The modified 19 statements were numbered,
keeping the original order,from S01 to S19 (see Appendix). These
statements were translated into Arabic andthen back-translated into
English by different translators to check the reliability of
theArabic version. Each attitudinal statement had a five-point
Likert scale, i.e. strongly
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agree, agree, no opinion, disagree, and strongly disagree with
values from 5to 1. Values of five negative statements (marked with
a a in the tables) werereversed, i.e. 1 to 5, at the time of data
analysis. The instrument was personallydelivered to the
respondents. A total of 42 usable instruments, with a response rate
of
87.5 per cent, were used for analysis.
FindingsThe responses of participants are presented below in
frequencies, percentages, andmeans in five tables which group
related statements together. A composite picture ofthe means of all
statements is provided in Figure 1 at the end of this part.
RespondentsThirty-five of the respondents (83.3 per cent) were
male and seven (16.7 per cent)female. Only two respondents (4.8 per
cent) were aged 30 or below. Sixteen (38.1 percent) each belonged
to the age group of 3140 and 4150. Eight (19.0 per cent) wereabove
50 years. Sixteen (38.1 per cent) respondents were Malaysians and
the
remaining 26 (61.9 per cent) were expatriates from 12 countries.
Out of the 42respondents, six (14.3 per cent) were professors, five
(11.9 per cent) associateprofessors, 26 (61.9 per cent) assistant
professors, and five (11.9 per cent) lecturers.Thirty-nine of the
respondents (92.9 per cent) had PhDs, one (2.4 per cent) had
anMPhil, and two (4.8 per cent) had masters degrees. Eighteen (42.9
per cent) of theseobtained their highest degrees from four western
countries, mainly UK and USA, 21(50.0 per cent) studied in eight
developing countries, and three (7.1 per cent) did notspecify the
country.
Importance of student library useThe data on four statements
related to the importance of student library use from afaculty
members point of view are presented in Table I.
All respondents strongly endorsed the importance of library use
in stimulatingstudents intellectual curiosity (a mean score of
4.71). No faculty member stronglydisagreed, disagreed or even
stayed neutral. Learning the use of library resources wasconsidered
important to increase students self-esteem and self-confidence.
Forty-oneof the respondents (97.6 per cent) recognised the
contribution of library use in
Figure 1.Mean value of statements
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increasing students self-esteem and self-confidence (a mean
score of 4.60). There wasno disagreement or strong disagreement
registered against this statement also.
All faculty members supported the idea that one of the important
reasons forstudents to learn how to use the library was to become
acquainted with the available
resources in their subject field (a mean score of 4.40).
Thirty-six respondents (85.7 percent) believed that improvement in
students general communication skills was aresult of good library
use skills, while three (7.1 per cent) disagreed with the idea
andthe other three (7.1 per cent) expressed no opinion.
Importance of library-based assignmentsThe responses to four
statements related to the participants perceptions towards
theimportance of library-based assignments are presented in Table
II.
With the exception of one respondent who did not express any
opinion, all facultymembers (97.6 per cent) felt that learning the
necessary processes of library use wasimportant for their students.
The over-all mean score of 4.55 indicated their strongsupport of
this statement. Forty respondents (95.3 per cent) supported the
idea that
library-based assignments increased students awareness of the
environment beyondthe classroom, while two respondents (4.8 per
cent) did not express any opinion. Themean score of 4.50 indicated
their strong belief that library-based assignments wereeffective in
broadening the worldview of students.
StatementStrongly
agree AgreeNo
opinion DisagreeStronglydisagree Mean
TableFacultys respons
towards the importancestudent library u
(n 5
S07 Helps stimulateintellectual curiosity 30 (71.4) 12 (28.6) 0
(0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4.71
S09 Increases self-esteem
and confidence 26 (61.9) 15 (35.7) 1 (2.4) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4.60S13
Becomes familiarwith subject literature 17 (40.5) 25 (59.5) 0 (0) 0
(0) 0 (0) 4.40
S14 Improves generalcommunication skills 14 (33.3) 22 (52.4) 3
(7.1) 3 (7.1) 0 (0) 4.12
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages
StatementStrongly
agree AgreeNo
opinion DisagreeStronglydisagree Mean
TableFacultys responses
the importance of librabased assignmen
(n 5
S11 Learning library useprocesses is important 24 (57.1) 17
(40.5) 1 (2.4) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4.55
S10 Increases awarenessof the outside world 23 (54.8) 17 (40.5)
2 (4.8) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4.50
S08 Students do nothave adequatelibrary use skillsa 0 (0) 13
(31.0) 7 (16.7) 19 (45.2) 3 (7.1) 3.29
S03 Should be designedin focused, notsurvey type courses 2 (4.8)
15 (35.7) 4 (9.5) 18 (42.9) 3 (7.1) 2.88
Notes: aScale for this statement was reversed to 1 to 5. Figures
in parentheses are percentages
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Do students possess skills that enable them to undertake
library-based assignments?A little more than half of the
respondents (n5 22, 52.3 per cent) felt that their studentshad the
necessary skills. Seven faculty members (16.7 per cent) did not
express anyopinion. Thirteen respondents (31.0 per cent) agreed
that their students did not have
the necessary skills. The overall mean score of 3.29 implied
that although the facultymembers showed some level of satisfaction
with the students library use skills, thesewere not good enough.
The respondents were divided on the issue that
library-basedassignments should be designed only in more focused
(specialised) rather than survey(general) type courses. More
faculty members disagreed (50.0 per cent) than agreed(40.5 per
cent) with the idea. Four (9.5 per cent) did not express any
opinion.
Facultys self-perceived roles and responsibilitiesTable III
presents the data related to five statements that touched on the
facultymembers self-perceived role towards student library use.
The survey respondents demonstrated a positive perception of
their roles andresponsibilities towards student library use. All of
the respondents, except one who
did not give any opinion, felt that they were obliged to
motivate students to want touse the library (mean score of 4.76).
Thirty-seven respondents (88.1 per cent) felt thatin order to
motivate students to use the library, they should provide
gradedassignments and extra credits, four (9.5 per cent) did not
agree, and one (2.4 per cent)did not express any opinion. The
overall mean score of 4.12 indicated that the awardof extra credits
was an important means of motivating students to use the
library.
The participants were divided as to whether, in supporting and
guiding students touse the library, it was their role to design
assignments that would necessitate the useof library resources.
More than half of the respondents (n5 26, 61.9 per cent)
regardeddesigning library-based assignments as part of their roles
and responsibilities ascompared to 11 (26.2 per cent) who did not.
Five (11.9 per cent) did not express anyopinion. The mean score of
3.64 favours making library-based assignments. Nineteen
respondents (46.4 per cent) agreed that their students lack of
study skills made it
Table III.Faculty responses ontheir self-perceived roles
StatementStrongly
agree AgreeNo
opinion DisagreeStronglydisagree Mean
S06 Motivate students touse library (n 5 42) 33 (78.6) 8 (19.0)
1 (2.4) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4.76
S12 Make gradedassignments and provideextra credit (n 5 42) 14
(33.3) 23 (54.8) 1 (2.4) 4 (9.5) 0 (0) 4.12
S04 Should designassignments whichrequire library use(n 5 42) 14
(33.3) 12 (28.6) 5 (11.9) 9 (21.4) 2 (4.8) 3.64
S16 Students lack of studyskills makes it difficultto require
library-basedassignmentsa (n 5 41) 4 (9.8) 15 (36.6) 7 (17.1) 14
(34.1) 1 (2.4) 2.83
S15 Assignments are verytime-consuming(n 5 41) 0 (0) 6 (14.6) 3
(7.3) 22 (53.7) 10 (24.4) 2.12
Notes: aScale for this statement was reversed to 1 to 5. Figures
in parentheses are percentages
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to develop into competent, efficient and effective library
users, who can easily identifythe information they need, locate
sources and evaluate them according to theirrelevance to the
subject in question. The faculty members viewed familiarity with
anduse of literature resulting in improving students general
communication skills as part
of the rationale behind library use. When students use
libraries, they become involvedin communication with all types of
people in library-related surroundings such aslibrarians, fellow
classmates, faculty members and so forth. In this process, the
morestudents use the library, the more proficient they become as
library users, leading toimproved general communication skills.
Thus, a considerable majority of respondentsregarded library use as
important, especially in the manner in which it improvedstudents
general communication and interpersonal skills. This finding was
consistentwith that of Mosley (1998) who found out that library use
leads to information literatestudents and contributed to improving
interpersonal communication betweenstudents, librarians and faculty
members.
Regarding research question two, What importance do faculty
members place onmaking assignments that require their students to
use the library? the findings
reflected a positive faculty perception of the importance of
such assignments. Theybelieved that library-based assignments have
to be designed for students registered infocused as well as survey
type courses. This finding largely supports Baker (1996)who found
that only minority of his respondents expressed their view that
library-based assignments should be demanded from students only in
more focused coursesbut not the broader survey type subjects. A
majority of the respondents of the presentstudy indicated that
their students were skillful in library use, based on which
theydesigned library-based assignments. Kunkel et al. (1996), who
came up with similarfindings, observed that although there were
cases of confusion among lower levelstudents about the scope and
diversity of library materials, students still possessedbasic
library skills that enabled them to undertake library-based
assignments andthose skills could slowly and progressively be
enhanced and improved by the help of
librarians. The participants of this study strongly felt (mean
score 4.5) that byengaging in library-based assignments, students
awareness was opened up to theworld beyond classroom lectures and
notes. These findings are consistent with Baker(1996) where around
95 per cent of the respondents realised the contribution of
library-based assignments in opening up students mind to the world
beyond the classroomenvironment.
The research question three dealt with What roles do faculty
members see forthemselves in guiding and supporting students in
using the library? Based on thefindings, it can be concluded that
the faculty members expressed well-definedperceptions of their
roles and responsibilities in guiding and supporting studentlibrary
use. They strongly felt their responsibility to motivate students
and inculcatein them the culture of library use. Most of the
respondents (61.9 per cent) of thepresent study felt that the award
of extra credits and graded assignments could beused as incentives
to develop the culture of library use among students. This
findingis consistent with Baker (1996) where slightly more than
half of the respondents (51.7per cent) considered the award of
graded assignments, extra credits and other possiblemotivating
means as essential in encouraging students to use the library.
The majority of the respondents felt that they were obliged to
design library-basedassignments for their students. These
assignments according to Gowler (1995) aremeant to acquaint
students with the objectives of the library and its
toolsprogressively so that students comprehension, utilisation and
assessment of the
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ConclusionThis study, in addition to its expressed objectives,
was taken up with an underlyingassumption that the faculty members
teaching in a religious-oriented discipline in anIslamic
university, even though it claims to be a modern educational
institution, will
still carry traditional approaches to education. The findings of
this research do notsupport this assumption, as far as these
respondents are concerned. These facultymembers regard student
library use and the required skills as very important anddisplay a
positive attitude toward library-based assignments. However, they
felt theirstudents library-use skills need to be upgraded in order
for them to engage in thisactivity. This is where the role of the
librarians becomes critical. It is deemednecessary that librarians
engage in an aggressive marketing campaign of theirservices and
demonstrate to library users, faculty as well as students, the
extent towhich the library can assist in fulfilling or satisfying
their information needs.
There was also a veiled dissatisfaction among respondents about
institutionalsupport in terms of value placed on the library,
availability of information resources,and support for designing
library-based assignments. This finding points to a less
active role adopted by library management (not unusual in the
Malaysian context)than actual support given by the university.
There is an urgent need for librarians toadopt a very proactive
attitude to create an awareness of resources available to
facultyand actively promote course-integrated library use by
supporting them in designingassignments. A workshop on designing
library-based assignments arranged forfaculty members might be a
good idea. There is also a need to initiate programmes todevelop
information literacy skills targeting first year students. The
possibility of acredit-based information literacy course may also
be explored.
It seems that the present study is the first to explore faculty
perceptions towardsstudent library use in a traditionally oriented
academic environment in a developingcountry. Although the findings
are encouraging, it will be of added interest if moresuch studies
are conducted in similar institutions. The present study was
confined to,and provided an insight into, the perceptions of
faculty members towards studentlibrary use. Nevertheless, students
perceptions of library use have not been explored.Therefore, a
combined study of faculty and student perceptions is another
potentialarea for investigation. There is also a need to
investigate librarians perceptions offaculty members attitude
toward information literacy.
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Appendix. Bakers modified survey instrument statements as used
in this study(One of the original 20 statements was dropped and
some words were changed or added tomake the statements clearer to
the population of this study. The serial numbers S01S19 wereadded
by the researchers.)
S01 Librarians ought to help students learn the process of
finding information rather thanfinding the information for
them.
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S02 Librarians should make students feel at home by making the
library environment friendlyand welcoming.
S03 Library-based assignments should only be required of
students in more focused courses andnot in broader survey type
courses.
S04 Faculty members should design assignments for their students
which will require library
use.S05 It is the librarians responsibility to ensure that the
library has up-to-date information in my
subject area.S06 One of my roles as a faculty member is to
motivate students to want to use the library.S07 Learning to use
the library helps stimulate students intellectual curiosity.S08
Most students in my classes do not possess the skills to undertake
library-based
assignments.S09 Learning to use the library is an important way
to increase students self-esteem and self-
confidence.S10 Library-based assignments can increase students
awareness of the world outside the
classroom.S11 Learning the processes necessary to use the
library is an important skill for students.S12 Faculty members
should make graded assignments, provide extra credit, or find other
ways
to motivate students to use the library.S13 An important reason
for students to learn to use the library is to become familiar with
the
literature of their subject field.S14 Good skills in using the
library may also improve students general communication skills.S15
For a faculty member, making library-based assignments is very
time-consuming.S16 Students lack of study skills (including writing
and organising) makes it difficult for
faculty members to require library-based assignments.S17 The
information resources available in the library in my subject field
are not adequate for
me to require library-based assignments.S18 The library does not
seem to be valued as an important part of my universitys
educational
programme by the administration.S19 There is not much
institutional support for faculty members who wish to make
library-
based assignments.
Corresponding author
Mumtaz A. Anwar can be contacted at: [email protected]
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