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Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library
Bibliography: p. 175-197.
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC)
2015
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| _version_ | 1867613675601264640 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Leibbrandt, Shirley |
| author2 | De Jager, Karin |
| author_browse | De Jager, Karin Leibbrandt, Shirley |
| author_facet | De Jager, Karin Leibbrandt, Shirley |
| author_sort | Leibbrandt, Shirley |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Bibliography: p. 175-197. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13396 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:39:55.390Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC) |
| publisherStr | Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC) |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13396 Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library Leibbrandt, Shirley De Jager, Karin Library and Information Studies Bibliography: p. 175-197. Academic libraries in South Africa are facing the challenge of tighter budgets, increasing student enrolments, greater diversity in students' backgrounds and library experience, and a call for greater accountability to all the stakeholders. The effectiveness of a library service can be measured in terms of the availability and accessibility of library materials, two attributes of a library's document delivery capability. This study focused on the availability of prescribed materials for undergraduate students in an academic library. It involved a micro-evaluation of the immediate materials availability rate in a short loan collection, by using a combination of a quantitative simulation study, and a qualitative user survey. Generally, the availability rates determined were high, which suggests a high degree of collection adequacy. However, the user study confirmed that many SLC users experienced difficulties in using the system, indicating a need for continuous user education programmes and constant dialogue between the staff and the users concerning future service improvements. The study indicated that overall materials availability rates can be misleading if accepted at face value. A introspective analysis of the reasons for the non-availability of high-demand materials revealed hidden access barriers such as poor information retrieval skills on the part of the users and certain inefficient organisational procedures on the part of the library. The study reiterates the fundamental importance of constructive communication between the various stakeholders in meeting the educational goals of the institution and the necessity of regular library performance evaluation to ensure a dynamic, proactive service. The coexistence of print-based and electronic resources in the forseeable future underscores the importance of convenience and accessibility factors in making required documents available to the users. 2015-07-14T08:33:14Z 2015-07-14T08:33:14Z 1996 Master Thesis Masters MBibl http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396 eng application/pdf Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC) University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Library and Information Studies Leibbrandt, Shirley Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| title_full | Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| title_fullStr | Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| title_full_unstemmed | Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| title_short | Access barriers : an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high-demand materials in the Short Loan Centre of an academic library |
| title_sort | access barriers an investigation into the availability and accessibility of high demand materials in the short loan centre of an academic library |
| topic | Library and Information Studies |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13396 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leibbrandtshirley accessbarriersaninvestigationintotheavailabilityandaccessibilityofhighdemandmaterialsintheshortloancentreofanacademiclibrary |