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ISSN 2063-5346
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Users’ perception towards WEBOPAC: a comparative study of agricultural university libraries of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal state

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Sanjeev Kumar, Dr. Jatinder Kumar
» doi: 10.48047/ecb/2023.12.si4.1267

Abstract

WEB catalogue of any library can be accessed online (WEBOPAC) to search and find any document. It is the basic library tool which is used in information searching. So it is very essential for any library to provide correct and updated information about the holdings of library. Quality of online catalogue depends upon the kind of information available and the way information is accessed. Usability of library services depends upon the information as well as system quality of the library. It is therefore important to measure user’s satisfaction for its continuous usage.The present study attempted to measure the user’s perception towards WEBOPAC usability in university libraries of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (PAU), Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar(HAU) and Himachal PradeshKrishiVishavidyalay, Palampur (HPKV). Survey research methodwas usedto conduct the study and stratified sampling technique was adopted to collect research data from the respondents comprising of Teachers, Research Scholars & Postgraduate students of selected university libraries. The study was based on end user satisfaction model. Questionnaire as research instrument was used to collect data from 267 respondents from each university thus total sample size came out to be 801 users. User satisfaction about Information quality and System quality of WEBOPAC was measured on five point likert scale from 1 to 5 from Highly Dissatisfied toHighly Satisfied. Datawas tabulated and analyzed using SPSS software using Descriptive statistics such as Mean, Standard Deviation etc. Chi-square and ANOVA test statistics was used to test the hypothesis. The study found significant difference with regard to frequency of using WEBOPAC among the users of agricultural libraries. Overall users of PAU were found to be more satisfied with WEBOPAC functionality as compared to the users of HAU and HPKV.The study will help to reveal the weaknesses in online catalogue services which will help the library community in improving the online catalogue services of their libraries. Similar studies can also be conducted taking into account other factors like perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness to measure user perception which has been excluded in the present study. Further gender based and subject category wise study analysis can also be carried out.

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