SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE “THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY AS A GATEWAY TO THE INTERNET: an analysis of the extent and nature of search engine access from academic library home pages.” BY CAROL A. WRIGHT

BY:
OZIOKO, STANLEY C. MIM/EDUC/6670/2009 – 2010
UMAR, AHMED MIM/EDUC/5686/2009 – 2010
SANI ONEKUTU JOB MIM/EDUC/7531/2009-2010
AHMDU BELLO MIM/EDUC/0365/2009 - 2010
HASSAN SALIHU MIM/EDUC/3495/2009 - 2010

Librarians often see the library as the primary gateway to information for the University community. In the presentation of collection and services on library home pages, libraries often provide inadequate paths to resources, and other navigational tools. A library webpage is the most common vehicle for the delivery of instructions and information; yet, library web pages often fail to serve as a campus gateway to external resources. Academic librarians assert their role in support of their institutions by developing comprehensive instruction programmes that integrate the internet with licensed library resources.
The study was aimed at determining the manner in which academic research libraries present links to their web sites to search engines and guides to using internet. In the literature review, it was observed that recent studies had indicated that undergraduates regarded internet as a primary information resource and that reliance on the internet was increasing. For instance, the report of the Pew Internet Project found that students use the internet more than the library while searching for information. The OCLC White Paper on Habits of College Students also reported that students’ first choice among web resources were search engines and course specific web sites.
Studies also show that students appear to value convenience and delivery speed more than quality of information. Because of easy access to the web, undergraduates don’t use library collections as much as they use the internet and in the absence of quality information search tools on the surface, this may imperil the quality of learning. Faculty is usually skeptical of the reliability of the information obtained from the web by students, and their ability to evaluate them. Although students consider themselves able to use internet information technology, they are unable to meet the expectations of their faculty experts.
On the usability of library websites, many studies have reported difficulties users experience in navigating academic library websites. Some of the challenges include: an obvious need for clearer, simpler terminology to facilitate navigation and decision making; use of library jargon; interpretation of menu labels, understanding the content of categories and knowing when to start; inadequate structuring of websites to respond to information tasks; inability to extrapolate from the list which tool / service is best suited to help them; unclear labels such as resources, databases, research which obfuscate the content of the library website.
Libraries are increasingly using the web to direct users to resources beyond their own licensed collections, but there is a striking and disturbing inconsistency among libraries in the presentation of these internet searching resources. Libraries that don’t offer high quality internet search engine links, user guides, and instructions lose a great opportunity to attract students and to position themselves as the primary gateway for information. Academic libraries can significantly enhance access to internet searching resources by focusing attention on the vocabulary, web-page design and content.
Academic libraries consider that part of their mission is to serve as the gateway to information in their institution. A well designed presentation of internet searching content is an opportunity to help clear blurred user impression of library resources versus internet resources. Librarians should demonstrate that they are positioning themselves to meet the challenges of the new information environment.