User perceptions of ICT at the American University of Kuwait Library
| Published date | 21 March 2016 |
| Pages | 143-150 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-09-2015-0087 |
| Date | 21 March 2016 |
| Author | Awadh Alharbi |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology |
User perceptions
of ICT at the American
University of Kuwait Library
Awadh Alharbi
The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Farwania, Kuwait
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to describe the student perceptions of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) in the American University of Kuwait Library (AUK).
Design/methodology/approach –The study uses a quantitative research method in order to
investigate the perceptions of a wide range of students who use the academic library. The sample
consists of 95 student volunteers, who provided data that were then analyzed and compared with
literature from other authors in this subject field.
Findings –The study found that the quality of the ICT equipment provided by the AUK library is
very good, however training in how to use the library’s ICT is lacking.
Practical implications –The findings suggest that the academic library looks into the possibility
of changing the layou t of the library to incor porate more compute r terminals, as clear ly many
students feel there are currently not enough. The academic library must offer a greater amount of
ICT training for students, preferably relating to the use of electronic resources and journals for
new students.
Originality/value –This study adds to the current literature on academic libraries in Kuwait, and is
one of the first studies to look at students’perceptions of ICT in a private university institution.
Keywords Academic libraries, Kuwait, Students, Communications technology,
Electronic information resources, User perceptions
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Technological advances made over the last 20 years have had a huge effect on
teaching and learning in an academic setting, changing the style of student learning.
Universities have embraced new technologies, as have academic libraries.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is just one of the many
services academic libraries are expected to provide for their users. “ICT”is commonly
defined as any computer, device or program that is controlled by a computer terminal.
This study examines the ICT services at oneacademiclibraryinKuwait,using
questionnaires as the primary method of data collection. The study was undertaken
at American University of Kuwait Library (AUK), which was founded in 2003
and opened to the Kuwaiti public in September 2004. The university is privately
owned and receives no funding from the government of Kuwait. The educational
system at AUK is based on an American model and all teaching is conducted
in English.
This study makes significant contributions to the literature about private
universities and academic libraries in Kuwait. Very few studies have been completed
and published on public educational institutes in Kuwait, and very few use student
perceptions as the primary data source. This study aimed to offer an evaluation of the
ICT services offered by the AUK Library, and possible recommendations on future
studies and improvements were made based on the evaluation results.
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 34 No. 1, 2016
pp. 143-150
©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-09-2015-0087
Received 9 September 2015
Revised 3 December 2015
Accepted 20 December 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
143
User
perceptions
of ICT at
the AUK
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