Provision of library and information services through mobile phones in public university libraries in Malawi
| Published date | 05 February 2018 |
| Date | 05 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-05-2017-0048 |
| Pages | 52-69 |
| Author | Aubrey Harvey Chaputula,Stephen Mutula |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Provision of library and
information services through
mobile phones in public university
libraries in Malawi
Aubrey Harvey Chaputula
Library and Learning Resources Centre, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi, and
Stephen Mutula
Department of Information Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of
KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Department of Library and
Information Science, University of Zululand, Empangeni, South Africa
Abstract
Purpose –The aim of this paper is present findings of a study conducted to find out the current state of
providing and accessing library and information services in public university libraries in Malawi through
mobile phones.
Design/methodology/approach –The researcher carried out in-depth semi-structured interviews with
university/college librarians using interview guides. University/college librarians were purposefully selected for
the interviews because they are overall managers of their libraries, hence in a better position to provide information
that addressed the study objectives. Proceedings of the interviews were recorded using a tape recorder, whilst
backupnotes were recorded in a notebook. Data were transcribedand analysed using Nvivo software.
Findings –Findings revealed that only one library in this study had fully implemented the offering of
library and informationservices through mobile phones, whilstthe rest were moving towards the same. Both
user and reference serviceoffering through mobile phones included e-journals,Facebook, WhatsApp, Online
Public Access Catalogueand SMS. The institutions in this study had institutionalrepositories, e-journals and
e-books, among others, which they could offer through mobile phones. High cost of accessing services
through mobile phone, vandalismof Information and Communications Technologies infrastructure,shortage
of skills andnetwork congestion are some of the factors thatmay affect the offering of library and information
servicesthrough mobile phones.
Research limitations/implications –Malawi has fourpublic universities. However, this article reports
findings of a case study of three of the four constituent colleges of the University of Malawi (College of
Medicine, Kamuzu College of Nursing and Polytechnic), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural
Resources and Mzuzu University.By virtue of being a case study, it means that the findings made are only
applicableto the five institutions covered.
Practical implications –The study findings have practical implicationsin that they can b e used as a model
for planning the implementation of library and information services through mobile phones not only in public
university libraries in Malawi but also other related institutions locally and internationally.
Originality/value –Use of mobile phones in the deliveryof library and information services is receiving a
lot of attention from researchers the world over.However, this is not the case in Malawi, as studies of this
nature have not been conducted in the public university sector or in other related sectors. Findings of this
study will, therefore, inform researchers intending to conduct similar or related studies not only in public
universitiesin Malawi but other related institutions as well.
Keywords Malawi, factors, Electronic information services, Mobile phones,
Library and information services, Public university libraries
Paper type Research paper
GKMC
67,1/2
52
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 1/2, 2018
pp. 52-69
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-05-2017-0048
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
Introduction
The potential of the mobile phone as a tool for the delivery of library and information
services has been underscored by a number of scholars (Kubat, 2017;Madhusudhan and
Dar, 2017;Hossain and Ahmed, 2016). Kubat (2017) observes that the mobile phone is the
number one communication tool today. Moreover, today’s smartphones (a more advanced
type of mobile phone) provide cutting-edgecomputing capabilities and connectivity options
in a manner similar to traditional computers (Hossain and Ahmed, 2016). These aspects,
combined with the pervasiveness of the mobile phone amongstuniversity students, implies
that academic libraries can leverage the growing capabilities of mobile technology to
provide informationfaster to their clients (Madhusudhan and Dar, 2017).
The delivery of library and information services through mobile phones is a relatively
new phenomenon. An ECAR (2010) nation-wide study of undergraduate students’use of
technology trends in the US higher educational institutions revealed a marked increase in
the number of students who owned and accessed internet from a handheld device (most
commonly smartphones) from 33.1 per cent in 2009 to 48.8 per cent in 2010. This
development prompted Lippincott (2010), a renowned library and information science
scholar, to predict in her 2010 article titled “A mobile future for academic libraries”that
mobile phones will have a profound impact on library service delivery in the future
considering that mobile phones had become part and parcel of people’s lives. This has
largely been realised, asmany academic libraries in various parts of the globe have adopted
the use of mobile phones in service delivery over the past few years, and thenumber keeps
growing every year (Wei and Yang, 2017;Bomhold, 2014). A study conducted by Bomhold
(2014) which focused on 73 public research universities under the Carnegie Corporation in
the USA found that 52 (71.2 per cent) of the libraries had adopted the use of mobile phonesin
library service delivery.A previous study by Aldrich (2010) had shown that only 21 per cent
of these libraries had adopted the use of mobile phones in service delivery at the time.
Similar increases in usage of the mobile phone as a tool for the delivery of library and
information services have been reported in China and the Southern African Region (Wei
et al.,2015;DeWee, 2013).
Attitudes of students who are the main client base of academic libraries to the use of
mobile phones for providing and accessing library services have proven to be positive. For
instance, findings of an earlierstudy by Paterson and Low (2011) involving 1,716 university
students in the UK and more recently by Kumar (2014) at Jawaharlal Nehru University in
India involving 180 students revealed that students had positive attitudes towards the
delivery of library and informationservices through mobile phone. The positive attitudesof
users have propelled the rapid adoption of the mobile phone for delivering and accessing
library and informationservices.
Library service delivery through use of mobile phones has taken many forms.
Some of them include use of mobile apps, mobile library websites, mobile catalogue
(also referred to as MOPAC), short message service (SMS) notifications and reference
service, instant messenger, mobile collections (e-journals and e-books), library
instructions and even circulations (Madhusudhan and Dar, 2017;Wei and Yang, 2017;
Luo, 2014). Much as the service offering is so broad, some services are widely offered
by some libraries than others. For instance, a study conducted by Kubat (2017) that
sampled 26 state and private universities in Turkey revealed that 15 university
libraries offered MOPAC, 12 offered mobile apps, 9 provided mobile website, 8
provided quick response (QR) Codes, whilst only 2 offered the SMS reference service.
Similarly, a study conducted by Bomhold (2015) that involved 53 Carnegie rated RU/
VH universities indicated that the majority of the institutions (52; 98.1 per cent)
Provision of
library
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