Status : Verified
Personal Name Abejuela, Aileen P.
Resource Title Social aspects of a user-friendly digital library a study on eLibrary Manila
Date Issued June 2017
Abstract Research and study on digital libraries are not restricted to those who are engaged in the technical aspects and system components but it involves social aspects as well. With these technical and social aspects, guidelines were formulated for some digital libraries abroad. These guidelines are meant to serve as reference in the development of digital libraries. Focusing on the social aspects of a user-friendly digital library (since there are fewer studies on this than on the technical aspects), this study developed evaluation parameters for a user-friendly digital library in the Philippines. The evaluation parameters (which served as guidelines) were applied to eLibrary Manila (ELM), the self-proclaimed digital library managed by the researcher. The guideline were based on the Digital Library Reference Model (DLRM) Conformance Checklist and the Evaluation of Digital Libraries : a User-Friendly Guide by Reeves Thomas (2005). Prior to these, a user survey was conducted through an online questionnaire to 100 ELM members to which 28 had responded. The study proceeded as it exceeded the required 25% sample size of the population. The survey included an analysis on the digital library's contents, users, functions, policies, and its service and usability.

Based on the gathered data from the user assessment survey, the researcher, being the former digital librarian , rated the eLibrary Manila on various criteria presented and determined its status as a user-friendly digital library in the Philippines. Recommendations are then presented for each criterion. Such recommendations which came from the user feedback and the analysis of the digital librarian as with direct and personal engagement on the phenomenon being studied, would hope to be useful in making the digital library a user-friendly one. The evaluation parameters developed in this paper can be used by other digital libraries in the Philippines.
Degree Course Master of Library and Information Science
Language English
Keyword Assessment; Digital libraries; eLibrary Manila; Social aspects
Material Type Thesis/Dissertation
Preliminary Pages
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