Medical Librarians and New Web Technologies: How Familiar are we with Web Facilities and Use of Library Services Applications?

Authors

  • Mohammadhiwa ABDEKHODA
  • Koorosh DIBAJ

Keywords:

Librarians, Web 2.0, Blogs, Pod Casts, Social networks, Library services.

Abstract

Objective: In recent years, new information technology has changed the nature of services Offered by libraries around the world. Librarians are considered to be the link between the source of information and the end users. It is therefore necessary for the librarians to be fully versed in the process and workings of the system applications in order to provide the required services in libraries. The research carried out here has concentrated on the medical librarian's knowledge, about the new generations of World Wide Web, as well as the use of new applications and facilities in library services. The research method: A descriptive Research Survey Method has been applied in this study. The comprehensive questioner had been designed for collection and collation of data which was distributed between 60 medical librarians, working in central and faculty libraries in three Medical & Sciences Universities. The data was collated and processed by SPSS software. Result: The findings concluded the fact that, minority of Medical librarians in the conducted survey were reasonably familiar with facilities and applications of new web generations such as pod casts, video-casts, electronic discussion groups … and were able to use these facilities in library services and the he majority were well versed and had sufficient knowledge in respect to general internet facilities like, Internet browsers, search engines and e-mails. Furthermore, the research has shown that about 90% of respondents believe that they need to continue their career development programs (CDP) and associated Education courses about web innovations. Conclusion: As results show, the level of familiarity with the new web generations and use of the web applications in library services is relatively low. Holding relevant courses and encouraging medical librarians to use these technologies in all library departments, including reference library services, should be encouraged and serious consideration must be implemented by relevant department managers.

Published

2011-05-30

How to Cite

ABDEKHODA, M., & DIBAJ, K. (2011). Medical Librarians and New Web Technologies: How Familiar are we with Web Facilities and Use of Library Services Applications?. Journal of Health Informatics in Developing Countries, 5(1). Retrieved from https://jhidc.org/index.php/jhidc/article/view/53

Issue

Section

Research Articles