A Model for Measuring Levels of End-Users Acceptance and Use of Hybrid Library Services and its Applicability to Universities

ABSTRACT 

This study concerns the acceptance and use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) services in libraries with particular reference to universities in developing countries. It is recognised that for information systems to be of value to an individual or groups of individuals the system should be accepted and used. The fairly recent shift in developing countries from mainly paper-based library services to electronic library services (c-library services) using ICT infrastructure has raised questions regarding their acceptance and utilisation. Whereas there is published evidence of the acceptance of use of technologies, there is a lack of similar evidence for c-library services. Most studies on acceptance and use of technology have been carried out in settings found in developed countries which have different contextual factors present in developing countries such as low technological development, low level of awareness and low resource capacity such as finance and human resource. This makes it inappropriate to extrapolate the findings from Developed countries to Developing countries (DCs). The opportunity to modify and adapt some of these models for groups in developing countries exists and this study builds on the work by Venkatesh et a!. (2003) which capitalized on commonalities of the best aspects of each of some existing models to develop a model called “The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of ‘I’echnology” (U’l’AUT). Using U’l’AUT as a foundation, this study set out to design a model for measuring levels of end-users’ acceptance and usc of c-library services in university settings in Uganda, as a representative of other developing countries. A cross sectional survey design was used to collect data from eight universities in Uganda to design an Electronic Library Services Acceptance and Use Model (ELSAUM). The study data ~~as examined for the mean, standard deviation, skewness. Kurtosis. and Shapiro-Wilk test statistic with the corresponding level of significance. The designed model has four independent constructs of performance expectance, relevance, social influence and facilitating conditions: four moderator variables of gender, age. experience and auareness and together influence the dependent constructs of behaviour intentions, usage behavior and expected benefits ‘Flie model was validated using data extracted from the main survey of 445 respondents. Results show that university communities have intentions to use c—library services. ‘I’he findings show that major determinants of end-users behaviour intentions and usage behaviour of c-library services were relevance, social influence and facilitating conditions. Some of the recommendations of the research are that: Governments should support Universities with the provision of ICT services; Librarians in the DCs should use validated instruments with the provision of ICT services; ‘I’he need to merge the two professions of Information Systems and Library Science. because it appears that currently both professionals do almost similar functions with regard to ICI services. ‘l’his research contributes to technology adoption and library science literature, as well as to e library practice: its emphasis was on I)eveloping Countries. Many avenues for future research have been opened.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION II

APPROVAL II

DEDICATION III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Iv

PUBLICATIONS VII

TABLE OF CONTENTS VIII

LIST OF TABLES XII

LIST OF FIGURES XIII

LIST OF APPENDICES XIII

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS XIV

ABSTRACT XVI

ChAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION ANI) BACKGROUND I

1. INTRODUCTIoN 1

1 . 1. I)EFINITION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS IN TI 111 STUI)Y 2

1 .2. I3ACKGROUNI) TO THE STUDY 5

1.2. 1. Acceptance and Use of Technology 5

1 .2.2. ICT services and University Libraries 6

1.2.3. Libraries and Developing Countries 8

1.2.4. The Study Preliminary Findings 9

1.3. TI IF RI1SEARCI I PROBLEM 14

1 .4. OBJECTIVES OF TIlE STUDY 15

1.4.1. General Objective 15

1.4.2. Specific Objectives 15

1.5. RESIiARCIl I IYPOTHESES 15

1,6. SCOPE OF TIlE STUI)Y 25

1.6. 1. Geographical Scope 25

1.6.2 Intellectual Scope 25

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF TIlE STUDY ANI) CONTRIBUTiONS 29

1 .8 OVERVIEW OF TIlE STUI)Y 29

1.8.1 Research designs 29

1.8.2 The main study findings 30

1.9 STRUCTURE OF TIlE Ti JESTS 30

1.10 CONCLUSION 31

CIIAPTER TW) - LITERATURE REVIEW 32

2.0 INTRODUCTION 32

2.1. ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION MODELS 32

2.1. 1. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) 37

2.1.2. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of Technology Model (UTAUT) 40

2.2. MOTIVATORS OF ADOPTION AND USE OF ELECTRONIC LIBRARY SERVICES 45

2.2.1. Library services evaluation models 46

2.2.2 Electronic Library Evaluation Studies 48

2.3. COMPARISON OF MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODELS.... 52

2.4. DISCUSSION ON THE LITERATURE REVIEW AND THE MATRIXES... 56

2.5. CONCLUSION 57

CHAPTER THREE - RESEARCh DESIGNS ANI) METIIODOLOGIES 59

3. INTRODUCTION 59

3.1. RESEARCI~I PARAI)IGMS 59

3. 1. 1. The research methods for this study 61

3.2. TIlE CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUNI) 63

3,2. 1. Basic concepts in Technology Acceptance Models Methodologies 64

3.2.2. The Study Conceptual Framework 65

3.2.3. Basic Concepts in the Study Conceptual Framework 66

3.2.4. Defining the study directions and variables 70

3.3. RESEARCH DESIGNS 72

3.3.1. CorrelationalDesigns 72

3.3.2. Suri’ey Designs 77

3.4. STUDY POPULATION 78

3.4.1. The Study Sample 79

3.4.2. Sampling Design 80

3.5. I)ATA COLLECTION METHODS 84

3.5,1. I)ata Collection Tools 85

3.5.2. Questionnaire Development 86

3.5.3. Defining measurements for the study variables 87

3.5,4. Validating the Instrument 90

3.5.5. Qualitative data collection instrument 91

3.5.6. Defining the Model Criteria 92

3.6. I)ATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES 92

3.6.1. Statistical Data Analysis 93

3.6.2. Data management prior to data analysis 94

3.7. ETIIICAL CONSIDERATIONS 94

3.8. STUDY LIMITATIONS 95

3.8.1. Generalisation of findings beyond the study sample 96

3.9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 97

CHAPTER FOUR - DATA ANALYSIS ANI) MODEL I)ESIGNING 99

4.0 INTRODUCTION 99

4.1. DATA EVALUATION 99

4.1.1. The Study Population 100

4.1.2. Data Screening .103

4.1.3. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents 103

4.1.4. Status of ICT in Ugandan Universities Library Services 105

4.1.5. Statistical Reliabilily of Items/Indicators 106

4.1.6. Scale Reliability Analysis 111

4.1.7. Estimating the Validity of the Constructs 113

4.1.8. Reliability of the model~s constructs 113

4.1.9. Factor Analysis of Variables for the Research/Pooled Model 116

4.2. VALIDATION OF THE STUI)Y MODEL CONSTRUCTS 122

4.2, 1. The Study Model from the Pooled Data 125

4.2.2. The effect of moderator variables on the research pooled model 127

4.3. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 130

CHAPTER FIVE - TEChNOLOGY SERVICES ACCEPTANCE AND USE MODEL 132

5. INTRODUCTION 132

5.1. TI IF RESEARCII MODEL 132

5.1.1. The Significance of the Research ModeFs Dependent Constructs 134

5.1.2. The Study Model Validation 137

5.1.3. Significance of Results from the Four Sample Models~ Constructs 147

5.2. ELECTRONIC LIBRARY SERVICES ACCEPTANCE ANT) USE MODEL

5.2.1. Testing hypotheses with Direct Effect 150

5.2.2. Ilypotheses with Moderation Impacts 151

5.3. I)ISCUSSIONS ANI) INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS .......................... 151

5.3.1. Results of Entire Research Model Propositions (hal and I1a2)................. 152

5.3.2. Results from I1LSAUMs Independent Constructs Flvpotheses (Ha3 lIa6)

5.3.3. Results of hypotheses with Moderation Impact 157

5.3.4. Results of hypotheses from the Dependent Variables (FIa7 & 11a8) 161

5.3.5. Findings from the ELSAUM Model 163

5.4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSiON 166

CHAPTER SIX - SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 168

6.0 INTRODUCTION 168

6.1. SUMMARY OF THESIS 168

6.2. MAJOR FINI)INGS 169

6.3. RECOMMENDATIONS ON CURRENT LIBRARY SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES 171

6.3.1. Library professionals 171

6.3.2. Library users 172

6.3.3. Govemments, University administrators and IS scientists 173

6.3.4. Monitoring and evaluation of library services 175

6.4. STUI)Y CONTRIBUTIONS 1 75

6.5. AREAS FOR FURTI TER RESEARCH 177

6.6. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .178

REFERENCES...........................183

APPENDICES....... ...................~201