Session Number
6
Keywords
Documentation ; Information Systems ; Open Access ; Search Engines ; Higher Education Libraries ; Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC) ; Institutional Repositories (IR)
Description
In this work, it is given public knowledge of a model that was built along the research carried out, with a view to evaluate the information resources in Open Access (OA) and present the results obtained by its application on a comparative study at the level of Higher Education Libraries (universities and polytechnics, public and private) in Portugal, more exactly concerning the Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC) and Institutional Repositories (IR). For the construction of this model and its application to the Higher Education Libraries in Portugal, 3 dimensions with 9 indicators each were designed, in a total of 27, adapted to the experience made explicit by authors who have tackled the topic of evaluating the Internet resources. However, this construction was especially based on personal experience with the benefits and difficulties detected in practical use of these platforms, in terms of personal, professional and academic level. Using this model, the comparison and analysis of the positive and negative elements found, aim to suggest operating characteristics which could make the OPAC and IR platforms more reliable, simple and friendly, providing a quality and accessible service, empowering their users with effective results, and reversing the current trend of arbitrary use of existing information resources on the Internet. At the same time, the model aims to give clues that can protect the image and credibility of the institutions, giving them the visibility required in a world of increasingly competitive Information. The results obtained have provided an update regarding the OPAC and IR of the Higher Education Libraries in Portugal, obtaining conclusions through quantitative and qualitative data, retreating still further information according to each type of Institution. The research was generated during the author’s Doctoral Thesis defended in Universidad de Alcalá, in Spain, December 2019.
Included in
Evaluation and analysis of Open Access electronic resources in higher education libraries in Portugal
In this work, it is given public knowledge of a model that was built along the research carried out, with a view to evaluate the information resources in Open Access (OA) and present the results obtained by its application on a comparative study at the level of Higher Education Libraries (universities and polytechnics, public and private) in Portugal, more exactly concerning the Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC) and Institutional Repositories (IR). For the construction of this model and its application to the Higher Education Libraries in Portugal, 3 dimensions with 9 indicators each were designed, in a total of 27, adapted to the experience made explicit by authors who have tackled the topic of evaluating the Internet resources. However, this construction was especially based on personal experience with the benefits and difficulties detected in practical use of these platforms, in terms of personal, professional and academic level. Using this model, the comparison and analysis of the positive and negative elements found, aim to suggest operating characteristics which could make the OPAC and IR platforms more reliable, simple and friendly, providing a quality and accessible service, empowering their users with effective results, and reversing the current trend of arbitrary use of existing information resources on the Internet. At the same time, the model aims to give clues that can protect the image and credibility of the institutions, giving them the visibility required in a world of increasingly competitive Information. The results obtained have provided an update regarding the OPAC and IR of the Higher Education Libraries in Portugal, obtaining conclusions through quantitative and qualitative data, retreating still further information according to each type of Institution. The research was generated during the author’s Doctoral Thesis defended in Universidad de Alcalá, in Spain, December 2019.