Factors affecting the unplanned use behavior of academic libraries users. Towards an axial coding pattern
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2018-0092 |
| Pages | 138-154 |
| Published date | 18 March 2019 |
| Date | 18 March 2019 |
| Author | Hadi Harati,Fatemeh Nooshinfard,Alireza Isfandyari-Moghaddam,Fahimeh Babalhavaeji,Nadjla Hariri |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Factors affecting the
unplanned use behavior of
academic libraries users
Towards an axial coding pattern
Hadi Harati and Fatemeh Nooshinfard
Department of Acquisition, The Information Center and Central Library,
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Alireza Isfandyari-Moghaddam
Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Hamedan, Iran, and
Fahimeh Babalhavaeji and Nadjla Hariri
Department of Knowledge and Information Science,
Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to identify and design the axial coding pattern of the factors affecting
the unplanned use behavior of users of the academic libraries and information centers.
Design/methodology/approach –The study as an applied research with a qualitative approach employed
the grounded theory. The data collection tool was a deep and semi-structured interview. The interviews
data were analyzed and coded during three stages of open, axial and selective coding using the MAXQDA
10 qualitative analysis software. The research population consisted of faculty members and experts in three
areas of library and information science, management and psychology. Using the combined targeted
sampling method (targeted and then the snowball), 12 subjects were selected as the sample size.
Findings –According to the research findings, the factors affecting the unplanned behavior of users in
the use of academic libraries resources and services were identified as factors related to technology,
environmental factors, information resources, information services, human resources, individual features,
time position factor, cultural factors and social factors. Accordingly, the axial coding pattern of this type of
behaviors was designed.
Research limitations/implications –The research limitations include the lack of theoretical basis related
to the unplanned behavior issue in the field of library and information science and the lack of full familiarity
of most of the experts in the field of library and information science with this topic. These factors lead to the
necessity of explaining the subject under discussion.
Originality/value –The unplanned behavior of clients can be utilized to persuade users to use the
information resources and library services so that the costs spent on their preparation and collection will be
justifiable. The current research addressed this aspect of the unplanned information-seeking behavior.
Keywords User studies, Academic libraries, Grounded theory, Information-seeking behaviour,
Unplanned behaviour, Unplanned behaviour coding pattern
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The most important goal of collecting and organizing the resources and planning services at
an academic library is to disseminate the resources and services. Thus, focusing merely on
the collection and organization of resources and services, even based on the needs of the
visitors, appears to be insufficient. Libraries require more accurate information about the
behavior of clients and customers by understanding the attitudes of clients and realizing
their ultimate goal of disseminating information to provide a more conducive context for
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 71 No. 2, 2019
pp. 138-154
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-04-2018-0092
Received 17 May 2018
Revised 29 August 2018
15 October 2018
3 December 2018
16 January 2019
Accepted 28 January 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
This paper is based on a doctoral dissertation from Islamic Azad University, Science and Research
Branch of Tehran.
138
AJIM
71,2
service delivery and use of resources. Library use is the extent to which the resources and
services of a library are utilized by its clientele (students and faculty in the case of academic
libraries). Common measures include overall or per capita circulation, turnover of collection
(s), gate count, program attendance, internet use within the building, interlibrary loan,
reference transactions, etc. (Reitz, 2004, p. 417). Attention to the factors affecting the use of
resources and services and the type of approach and attitude of clients toward resources
and services are of great importance, and those information centers and libraries focusing
on these factors will succeed in achieving their ultimate goal.
In general, the behavior of an individual in using information resources or services in
libraries and information centers can be divided into the two broad categories of planned
behavior and unplanned behavior. According to Ajzen’s (2006) view, in the case of planned
behavior, attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control
lead to the formation of a behavioral intention affecting the individuals’behavior; therefore,
in planned behaviors, the use of library services is made with predetermined intent and
rational decision. According to studies in the field of marketing (Clover, 1950; Rook, 1987;
Kim, 2003; Dawson and Kim, 2009), users’unplanned use of information resources or library
services can refer to the immediate and rapid decision of an individual in using services that
are not already planned. This kind of information-seeking behaviors occurs at the moment
and may not be related to the person’s basic needs.
In the case of unplanned behavior approach, the users of library resources and services
who do not decide beforehand may tend to use the available resources due to factors such as
existing stimuli in the environment. In other words, the immediate or unplanned use of
resources and services can be defined in simple terms as the immediate and intense
tendency for use that the user has not already planned. When a client visits a library
with the intention to borrow some books on a particular subject, in fact, he does some
sort of planned behavior. However, if this person with the same intention is tempted
to use other books, such as a novel or a psychology book, unrelated to the intended subject
matter due to various factors such as environmental stimuli, he/she has committed an
unplanned behavior.
According to statistics published i n Iran regarding the low per capita of study (Salari, 2012;
Vaezi, 2013; Qasim and Noormohammadi, 2016) and reduced rate of referrals to academic
libraries and information centers or similar centers (Brindesi et al., 2013; Mohammadzadeh
and Bozorgi, 2013), focusing on new marketing methods to develop and expand a culture of
reading and studying and to encourage more use of library environments can be of great
significance. Previous studies on the a rea of information-seeking behavior (Thanuskodi, 2009;
Younger, 2010; Kumar et al., 2014; Ngozi et al., 2015; Oyinloye, Dangwaran, and Kantiok, 2016;
Hossain et al., 2017) have tried to study and examine the major factors influencing the
formation of information-seeking behavior of the users of libraries and information resources
based on the planned patterns. However, attention to the behavioral dimensions of users of
libraries and information centers seems to have other hidden angles. The formation of these
behaviors can be examined by using the common models in the field of marketing.
Accordingly,one of the issues to be addressed in the area of information-seekingbehavior of
visitors of libraries and information centers is their unplanned behavior, which can play a
decisive role in developing the use of resources and services in libraries or can increase the
culture of using libraries and information centers within the communities, especially in
developing countries. Hence, giventhe importance of unplanned behaviors in using resources
and servicesand planning capabilitiesfor these types of behaviorsby the information centers
and academic libraries, the purpose of this research is to identify the factors influencing the
unplanned behavior of clients inthe use of information resources and information services of
academic libraries so as to provide an axial codingpattern for these types of behaviors based
on the identified factors. The axial coding pattern is the result of analyzing the data of
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Factors
affecting the
unplanned use
behavior
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