Impact of Electronic Course Materials on Short Loan Libraries

Abstract

The advent of Electronic Course Materials (ECM‟s) services in academic libraries has had a remarkable impact on academic libraries, since they provide new prospects for libraries, library staff and various new methods for accessing library services for its users. With the challenge for the librarians growing in multiple scope due to Information Communication Technologies (ICT) applications. This study will look at how and to what degree has the implementation of ECM‟s made an impact on staff‟s work in academic libraries. The purpose of this proposed research study is to explore how Electronic Course Materials (ECM‟s) have affected the work of librarians in academic short loan collection in New Zealand tertiary institutions. This study adopted a mixed-method approach and utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods. An online survey was applied for this study where questionnaires were sent to the respondents via a URL. This study sought to find out whether ECM‟s have made any impact on staff‟s work. The resulted indicated that ECM‟s setting is in a state of transformation. This transformation has enabled the library staff to learn new technology to work with ECM‟s effectively and this has encouraged them to learn new skills in order to achieve the required results. There is very limited research in this area; this makes it beneficial to investigate this area. Research findings will prove beneficial to the librarians as they could look at the research findings and compare their services with the result. Academic libraries could use new technologies to improve their services, which may help them to support the teaching and learning process.