The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Library Resources and Services by International Students: A Case Study

IF 1 Q3 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

Journal of Library Administration Pub Date : 2023-07-04 DOI:10.1080/01930826.2023.2219602

Peggy Nzomo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of covid-19 on library services as perceived by international students and scholars at Kent State University, a medium-sized public research university in the mid-west, in the United States. A second general purpose was to increase awareness of library resources and services among the international student population. The study used a self-reported questionnaire (Qualtrics survey) to find out the use of library services and resources by international students’ pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Using google analytics, the study also compared visits of the library website from pre-pandemic and during the pandemic by the general student population. The author also obtained statistics from various library departments to compare pre-pandemic and pandemic usage. Additionally, informal interviews were conducted by the author to find out librarians’ perceptions of how Covid-19 impacted their services and policies. The survey results showed a general lack of awareness of library resources and services among the international student population both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. The usage statistics and reports from the librarians revealed a high impact of the pandemic on Interlibrary Loan (ILL), circulation, acquisitions and instruction services, but a modest/minimal impact on reference services and visits to the library website. Recommendations include increased marketing efforts and outreach to the international student population and by extension to all students especially long-distance students or online-only students. The study also highlights the importance of open access, consortia, and Institutional repositories and the role they play in enhancing equitable access to information. The study encourages libraries to leverage new technologies that would improve services while also advocating for policies that would help bridge the digital divide.

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新冠肺炎对留学生利用图书馆资源和服务的影响——以上海大学为例

摘要本研究的目的是调查美国中西部中型公立研究型大学肯特州立大学的国际学生和学者对covid-19对图书馆服务的影响。第二个一般目的是提高国际学生对图书馆资源和服务的认识。本研究采用自我报告问卷(Qualtrics survey)，了解国际学生在疫情前和疫情期间对图书馆服务和资源的使用情况。使用谷歌分析，该研究还比较了大流行前和大流行期间普通学生群体对图书馆网站的访问。作者还获得了各图书馆部门的统计数据，以比较大流行前和大流行时的使用情况。此外，作者还进行了非正式访谈，以了解图书馆员对Covid-19如何影响其服务和政策的看法。调查结果显示，国际学生在大流行前和大流行期间普遍缺乏对图书馆资源和服务的认识。图书馆员的使用统计数据和报告显示，疫情对馆际互借、流通、采购和指导服务的影响很大，但对参考服务和图书馆网站访问的影响不大。建议包括加大市场营销力度，向国际学生群体推广，并扩展到所有学生，特别是远程学生或仅在线学生。该研究还强调了开放获取、联盟和机构知识库的重要性，以及它们在促进信息公平获取方面发挥的作用。这项研究鼓励图书馆利用可以改善服务的新技术，同时也倡导有助于弥合数字鸿沟的政策。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Library Administration INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

2.70

自引率

21.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Library Administration is the primary source of information on all aspects of the effective management of libraries. Stressing the practical, this valuable journal provides information that administrators need to efficiently and effectively manage their libraries. The journal seeks out the most modern advances being made in professional management and applies them to the library setting.