A study on the perceptions of library services and usage in selected higher education institutions in Malaysia

The study examines the perception of faculty members and students towards library services and usage in three selected Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia. It attempts to find out how academic users felt towards library staff/library services, their actual needs, library usage and their expectations of the library. It also looks closely at the feasibility and possible impact of the library/information skills course as part of the Higher Education Institutions' Curriculum. An extensive review of related and relevant literature that includes previous and present studies is also discussed. In addition, a profile of Malaysia, its educational system and the development of academic libraries are also presented in the study. The population studied was drawn from faculty members and students of three selected Higher Education Institutions. Data was collected using selfadministered questionnaires, personal interview, group interviews/ discussions with focus groups and a short skill test. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data collected from the questionnaires and the short skill test. As for the interviews, important and relevant comments or suggestions were collated and incorporated in the research. The study concludes that users are not really getting the full benefit of the library services and some of the services are under-utilised. The major causes or reasons for this problem are the lack of knowledge and the low state of awareness of certain services, attitude of staff, inadequate training to use the services and the lack of computer facilities. Finally. the idea of having an in-class library/information skills course for students is well received by users of the three Higher Education Institutions.