Factors of mobile library user behavioral intention from the perspective of information ecology
| Published date | 06 August 2018 |
| Pages | 705-720 |
| Date | 06 August 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-03-2017-0046 |
| Author | Xiwei Wang,Mengqing Yang,Jiaxing Li,Nanaxue Wang |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Factors of mobile library user
behavioral intention from the
perspective of information ecology
Xiwei Wang,Mengqing Yang,Jiaxing Li and Nanaxue Wang
School of Management, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors of the mobile library users’attitude and
behavioral intention from the perspective of information ecology. The research results could serve as a
referencefor the improvement of the mobile library services.
Design/methodology/approach –A model was constructed of the mobile library users’attitude and
behavioral intentionwith three external variables, namely, informationquality, information environment and
information technology, abstracted from the theory of information ecology. The influences of the three
ecologicalfactors were explored with empirical research and structuralequation model.
Findings –Results showed that informationquality, information environment and informationtechnology
had positive and significant effects on users’attitude, among which the influence coefficient of information
environment was the largest. Informationtechnology and users’attitude had positive and significant effects
on the behavioral intentionof users. This new theoretical perspective for research on the users’mobilelibrary
behaviormight have a positive role in promoting the development of mobilelibraries.
Practical implications –This study suggests that the mobilelibrary can improve the service mode in
three aspects, namely, informationquality, information environment and information technologyto enhance
the intentionto use.
Originality/value –A theoretical model of the mobile library users’behavioral intention is constructed
from the perspectiveof information ecology. It can not only provide solid theoretical guidancefor research on
mobile librariesbut also broaden the applicationof information ecology theory.
Keywords Behavioural intention, Mobile library, Information ecology
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The mobile online applications and service innovationsare changing peoples’way of life –
mobile library is one of the best examples. The mobile information service gradually
integrated into life with the development of mobile networks and devices; accessing
information anytime and anywhere is the defining characteristic of “mobile”. The
smartphone and mobile technologiesare changing the ways people consume, distribute and
create information (Little, 2011). People who used to visit libraries for specific information
are now able to find the same information online (Li, 2013).The mobile library has become a
new service mode of library by using textmessage, WAP website and APP. Rather than an
information carrier, mobile devices have become the interactive tool of information and
resources between users and libraries. So, it is helpful to understandthe factors influencing
users’acceptanceof mobile library service from an academic perspective.
This research is supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Project
(71673108) and the 985 Project of Jilin University.
Mobile library
user
behavioral
intention
705
Received6 March 2017
Revised19 August 2017
15October 2017
Accepted10 November 2017
TheElectronic Library
Vol.36 No. 4, 2018
pp. 705-720
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-03-2017-0046
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
There are dozens of literature-exploringusers’acceptance of the mobile library and their
views on libraries offering mobile information services (Vassilakaki, 2014). These studies
investigate whether these services are helpful, adding value and usefulness to library
service or to meet users’needs (Cummingset al.,2010;Paterson and Low, 2011). Scholars in
most case tend to explore the factorsinfluencing the user acceptance from mature model like
TAM (Aharony, 2014;Jaradat, 2012) or ISSM (Huang et al., 2015). Though these research
studies highlighted the understanding of users’attitudes toward using the mobile library,
user-centered features of mobile library service are not well represented. As a new
information system in the mobile internet environment, theoretical support which is both
systematic and people-orientedis also needed for further investigation of the mobilelibrary.
As a new information service, the mobile library takes “user-centric”as the guiding
ideology and stresses the importance of human behavior, namely, the users’behavioral
intention based on the users’experience. As a theory to explain information behavior in
information systems, the theory of informationecology stresses the harmonious interaction
of the human, information and information environment.And it emphasizes “people”at the
core of the information ecosystem (Davenport and Prusak, 1997). Thus, the theory of
information ecology can provide a new theoreticalframework and conceptual model for the
mobile library from the perspective of the users’experience. With the help of information
ecology, this paper aims to constructa theoretical model of mobile libraryusers and explore
the factors influencingusers’behavior. The main purposes of this study are as follows:
to identify factors influencing users’attitudes and behavioral intention of using the
mobile library with the help of information ecology;
to develop and evaluate a successful model of a mobile library service; and
to suggest methods for improving mobile library service based on the results of this
work.
On the theoretical level, this study provides a new theoretical support and research model
for the study of mobile libraries from the perspective of information ecology. The
information ecosystem is further elaborated as a system consisting of human, information,
information environment and information technology. In practice, the empirical method is
used to verify the results based on the actual surveyof Chinese users. An attempt is made to
widen the range of information ecology application as well as provide a new direction for
research on the mobilelibrary and its development.
Literature review
Mobile library
The concept of the mobile library first referred to specific vehicles designed for library use
(Bikos and Papadimitriou, 2014). With the developmentof information and communication
technology, “mobile library”was gradually used to refer to information services of library
offered on mobile devices (Vassilakaki, 2014). New mobile devices and technologies have
wide applications for reference, instruction, access, collection development, systems and
many other library functions (Little, 2011).To meet recent users’demands, a large number
of libraries have integrated their services with mobile technology. Academic libraries are
also providing mobileaccess to their resources and services (Little, 2011). The mobilelibrary
has become an important tool for obtaining academic information and supporting mobile
learning behavior(Shih et al.,2011).
For any library, especiallyuniversity libraries, developing mobilewebsites is becoming a
necessary trend to satisfy users’mobile needs for exploring the world of knowledge
EL
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