Library requirements of Masters of Art (Creative Writing) students : is the class library of the International Institute of Modern Letters meeting their information needs?

<p>To investigate whether the Class Library of the International Institute of Modern Letters was meeting the information needs of the students in the Master of Arts (Creative Writing) an exploratory research approach was used. A sequential mixed methodology study comprised of a questionnaire, with both quantitative and qualitative content, to canvass student responses as well as interviews with the Institute's students, its teaching staff, and the Collection Development Librarian of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library. The findings showed that students made significant use of the Class Library, often in preference to the University Library. This usage was based on factors such as collection quality, proximity to the Institute, accessibility of the collection and the availability of reading material. Library anxiety experienced when using the Central Library is another probable factor. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the Institute retain the Class Library as an autonomous collection and not integrate it into the collection of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library.</p>

Library requirements of Masters of Art (Creative Writing) students : is the class library of the International Institute of Modern Letters meeting their information needs?

<p>To investigate whether the Class Library of the International Institute of Modern Letters was meeting the information needs of the students in the Master of Arts (Creative Writing) an exploratory research approach was used. A sequential mixed methodology study comprised of a questionnaire, with both quantitative and qualitative content, to canvass student responses as well as interviews with the Institute's students, its teaching staff, and the Collection Development Librarian of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library. The findings showed that students made significant use of the Class Library, often in preference to the University Library. This usage was based on factors such as collection quality, proximity to the Institute, accessibility of the collection and the availability of reading material. Library anxiety experienced when using the Central Library is another probable factor. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the Institute retain the Class Library as an autonomous collection and not integrate it into the collection of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library.</p>

An Investigation into the Extent and Application of Bilingual Signage in New Zealand Public Libraries

<p>Bilingual signage is important both for the assistance it renders patrons as they navigate through the library, and for the statement it makes about a library‟s commitment to biculturalism. Good signage enables library users to find their way around a library and locate the information they need. Many Māori report feeling uncertain and alienated in libraries, and bilingual signage has been identified as an important component in the process of making Māori feel welcome in libraries. This study aims to discover to what extent public libraries commit to biculturalism through their bilingual signage, and how bilingual signage is displayed to alleviate library anxiety among Māori users, and as well to determine to what degree the level of signage in public libraries can be related to the proportion of Māori in the local population. A mixed methods research design has been applied to investigate the quantitative and qualitative information collected in the first phase of the research (an online survey sent to 330 public libraries throughout New Zealand), followed by the second phase of qualitative in-depth data gathering in the form of personal visits to 12 Auckland public libraries to conduct a qualitative content analysis of their signage. The findings reveal that over 50% of New Zealand public libraries have some form of bilingual signage, but they also show that much bilingual signage is employed at the upper level of signage rather than the deeper levels applicable to wayfinding. Practices in bilingual signage that need to be addressed are identified. Suggestions are made for further research.</p>

An Investigation into the Extent and Application of Bilingual Signage in New Zealand Public Libraries

<p>Bilingual signage is important both for the assistance it renders patrons as they navigate through the library, and for the statement it makes about a library‟s commitment to biculturalism. Good signage enables library users to find their way around a library and locate the information they need. Many Māori report feeling uncertain and alienated in libraries, and bilingual signage has been identified as an important component in the process of making Māori feel welcome in libraries. This study aims to discover to what extent public libraries commit to biculturalism through their bilingual signage, and how bilingual signage is displayed to alleviate library anxiety among Māori users, and as well to determine to what degree the level of signage in public libraries can be related to the proportion of Māori in the local population. A mixed methods research design has been applied to investigate the quantitative and qualitative information collected in the first phase of the research (an online survey sent to 330 public libraries throughout New Zealand), followed by the second phase of qualitative in-depth data gathering in the form of personal visits to 12 Auckland public libraries to conduct a qualitative content analysis of their signage. The findings reveal that over 50% of New Zealand public libraries have some form of bilingual signage, but they also show that much bilingual signage is employed at the upper level of signage rather than the deeper levels applicable to wayfinding. Practices in bilingual signage that need to be addressed are identified. Suggestions are made for further research.</p>

Relationship Between Affective Tendency, Sex and Library Anxiety Among Undergraduate Students

Library anxiety is a type of fear that is associated with library user who becomes uncomfortable when using the library and its facilities. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between affective tendency, sex and library anxiety amongundergraduate students and it’s implications for counselling using University of Benin ascase study. A correlational research design was used to select a sample size of 200 from apopulation of 1546 registered users using simple random technique. Data was collectedusing the Affective Tendency and Library Anxiety Scale (ATLAS) adapted from Bostick(1992). The reliability was determined at 0.83 Cronbach Alpha. The results indicatedthere is no significant relationship between affective tendency and library anxiety, whilesex differ significantly with library anxiety. Counsellors should engage students onorientation programmes and give out guidelines on how to study and read effectively inthe library.

Library Anxiety among the First-Year Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Students at Universitas Gadjah Mada

Background of the study: As a unit in a University, library has a role to help users by providing library services, especially for the first-year students who are accepted in large numbers each year. The large number of admitted first-year students need attention from university, especially library, by conducting socialization activity to reduce library anxiety. There are still many first-year students feel anxiety in themselves. Purpose: This study aims to measure the first-year student’s anxiety level in and to compare anxiety level of students who participate and do not participate in library services socialization, between levels, factors, and between groups of external and internal factors that affect the anxiety level of first-year students. Method: This study used a quantitative approach by using survey research method. There were 336 respondents that involved in this study; 236 respondents from undergraduate program, 87 respondents from master program, and 13 respondents from doctoral program. This study used convenience sampling to collect the data and SPSS 25 to analyze the data. Findings: The results of this study indicate that the first-year students have low anxiety level. Conclusion: There is a significant difference between students who participated and those who did not participate in socialization activity; they have different library anxiety level at all levels; There is a significant difference between the factors affecting anxiety level of first-year students; There is no

C&RL Spotlight

Doing these Spotlights is actually one of the more pleasant aspects of my role as C&RL editor. It is a time to reflect on the works that authors have done and discuss common threads of trending topics. This particular issue is full of a number of compelling articles, so it was actually a little difficult to select a direction to riff on.That said, there are actually two articles that address anxiety, and given that the past year has been nothing but anxiety-inducing, it seems natural to focus on that. In addition, one of most viewed articles in C&RL (it has consistently been in the top three most viewed articles) is “Shame: The Emotional Basis of Library Anxiety” by Erin L. McAfee, which tells me that there is definitely a lot of interest in the topic.

Institutional Literacy and Libraries: Addressing Library Anxiety with a Personal Librarian Program

This article considers institutional literacy as a lens through which to consider causes of library anxiety and the development of library programs. Institutional literacy is the ability to read and engage with the ways of being and doing that are -- often invisibly -- embedded into institutions of all kinds. This article posits that the ability of library users to confidently engage with library services is in part predicated on the level of institutional literacy these users have, both in the institution of the library itself and any larger host institution – such as a university. A setting such as a university requires a range of literacies, and those developing programs and services in such settings should not assume new and potential library users already have developed these literacies. While librarians are accustomed to considering information literacy as their contribution to this matrix, unfamiliar institutional literacy practices can present obstacles to new library users becoming information literate. A comparison of research on the effects of a lack of institutional literacy and research into library anxiety demonstrates parallels that suggest that low levels of institutional literacy are a contributing factor to library anxiety, creating one of the aforementioned obstacles. Acting as institutional literacy mediators is one way library workers can respond to this challenge. The article concludes with a description of how the theoretical lens thus developed was used to inform the development of a personal librarian program at the University of Regina, in part by positioning librarians as institutional literacy mediators.

Library Anxiety Among Marginalized University Students in Northeast India

Objective – Library anxiety experienced by students has been discussed extensively for many decades. While the phenomenon is widely recognized, little attention has been paid to seeing its specific effect on marginalized sections of the society. The study attempts to understand the library anxiety experienced by students at three different universities in Assam. Assam is the only state in Northeast India to have private, state, and central universities. These universities draw their student populations from several different hill states in Northeast India, all of which face significant socio-political-economic challenges. Methods – A stratified random sample technique was used for the study. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed equally among the three universities in Assam and found 119 questionnaires were fit for analysis. The study adopted the modified and validated version of the Bostick Library Anxiety Scale developed by Anwar, Al-Kandari, and Al-Qallaff (AQAK) in 2004, with 32 item statements and 4 categories. The questionnaire is divided into two parts: Demographic Variables and the Library Anxiety Scale. The categories used for the study were: Category 1 (Staff Approachability) – 11 statements; Category 2 (Feelings of Inadequacy) – 6 statements); Category 3 (Library Confidence) – 8 statements; and Category 4 (Library Constraints) – 7 statements. Results – The study hypothesized that factors such as gender, the language of instruction, type of university, and caste or community do not influence library anxiety among Northeast India students. However, the study's findings suggest that type of university influences library anxiety among students and its three constructs. Tezpur university students experience a higher level of library anxiety. Although no overall significant difference in the level of library anxiety was observed among students across gender (p=0.278, p> 0.05), the language of instruction (p=0.023, p> 0.05), castes and communities (p=0.223, p> 0.05), there was a significant difference in one construct of library anxiety among students based on gender (feelings of inadequacy), the language of education instruction (staff approachability), caste and community (feelings of inadequacy). Conclusions – Results from the present study provided compelling evidence to suggest that many students, irrespective of their gender, the language of instruction, type of university, discipline, and caste or community experience library anxiety. The difference levels of library anxiety among independent variables indicate a critical lack of information literacy skills. Overall, library anxiety scores among the students were moderate; some categories such as staff approachability, the feeling of inadequacy, and library constraint are the attributes of the students' anxiety. However, the findings of the study also suggest that students are confident in using the library. They are optimistic, enthusiastic, and keen to use library resources.