Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library

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dc.contributor.advisorDe Jager, Karinen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorLeibbrandt, Shirleyen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-07-14T08:33:14Z
dc.date.available2015-07-14T08:33:14Z
dc.date.issued1996en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 175-197.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAcademic libraries in South Africa are facing the challenge of tighter budgets, increasing student enrolments, greater diversity in students' backgrounds and library experience, and a call for greater accountability to all the stakeholders. The effectiveness of a library service can be measured in terms of the availability and accessibility of library materials, two attributes of a library's document delivery capability. This study focused on the availability of prescribed materials for undergraduate students in an academic library. It involved a micro-evaluation of the immediate materials availability rate in a short loan collection, by using a combination of a quantitative simulation study, and a qualitative user survey. Generally, the availability rates determined were high, which suggests a high degree of collection adequacy. However, the user study confirmed that many SLC users experienced difficulties in using the system, indicating a need for continuous user education programmes and constant dialogue between the staff and the users concerning future service improvements. The study indicated that overall materials availability rates can be misleading if accepted at face value. A introspective analysis of the reasons for the non-availability of high-demand materials revealed hidden access barriers such as poor information retrieval skills on the part of the users and certain inefficient organisational procedures on the part of the library. The study reiterates the fundamental importance of constructive communication between the various stakeholders in meeting the educational goals of the institution and the necessity of regular library performance evaluation to ensure a dynamic, proactive service. The coexistence of print-based and electronic resources in the forseeable future underscores the importance of convenience and accessibility factors in making required documents available to the users.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationLeibbrandt, S. (1996). <i>Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationLeibbrandt, Shirley. <i>"Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC), 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationLeibbrandt, S. 1996. Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Leibbrandt, Shirley AB - Academic libraries in South Africa are facing the challenge of tighter budgets, increasing student enrolments, greater diversity in students' backgrounds and library experience, and a call for greater accountability to all the stakeholders. The effectiveness of a library service can be measured in terms of the availability and accessibility of library materials, two attributes of a library's document delivery capability. This study focused on the availability of prescribed materials for undergraduate students in an academic library. It involved a micro-evaluation of the immediate materials availability rate in a short loan collection, by using a combination of a quantitative simulation study, and a qualitative user survey. Generally, the availability rates determined were high, which suggests a high degree of collection adequacy. However, the user study confirmed that many SLC users experienced difficulties in using the system, indicating a need for continuous user education programmes and constant dialogue between the staff and the users concerning future service improvements. The study indicated that overall materials availability rates can be misleading if accepted at face value. A introspective analysis of the reasons for the non-availability of high-demand materials revealed hidden access barriers such as poor information retrieval skills on the part of the users and certain inefficient organisational procedures on the part of the library. The study reiterates the fundamental importance of constructive communication between the various stakeholders in meeting the educational goals of the institution and the necessity of regular library performance evaluation to ensure a dynamic, proactive service. The coexistence of print-based and electronic resources in the forseeable future underscores the importance of convenience and accessibility factors in making required documents available to the users. DA - 1996 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1996 T1 - Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library TI - Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationLeibbrandt S. Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC), 1996 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentLibrary and Information Studies Centre (LISC)en_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherLibrary and Information Studiesen_ZA
dc.titleAccess barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic libraryen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMBiblen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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