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University libraries exist to support the strategic objectives of their parent universities by providing access to quality and relevant scholarly and scientific information in support of the curricula and research programmes. In fulfilling their core functions, university libraries are increasingly adopting an array of web technologies to deliver quality services to their user community. The aim of this study was to investigate the incorporation of web technologies into the services of university libraries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region in order to develop a user-centred model for the deployment of web technologies in university libraries. To achieve this aim, the study was underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The proliferation of information in the electronic environment, along with increased user preference to access digital information, has made the incorporation of web technologies in university libraries a necessity, not an option. These transformative developments are accompanied by increased user demands for user-centred services. These advances justify the significance of this study, as well as the user-centred model developed for the incorporation of web technologies in university libraries which constitutes the original contribution of the research to scientific knowledge. This study falls within a pragmatic paradigm and followed a mixed method research approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research strategies in data collection and analysis. The population of this study comprised university libraries in the SADC member states whose language of communication is English. Since this population was fairly small in size, quantitative data were collected from the entire population using a questionnaire. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used to analyse the quantitative data. Qualitative data were also collected from librarians via interviews with purposive sampling being used to select the participants. Another set of the population involved undergraduate and postgraduate students from selected universities from whom qualitative data were collected by means of focus group discussions. Purposive sampling was used to select participants in the focus group discussions. Qualitative data were analysed following the thematic qualitative analytical approach. The findings of this study showed that the majority of university libraries in the SADC region have incorporated numerous web technologies for information discovery, for information sharing and promoting library services, for interactive library services, and for content management. The findings also revealed that the UTAUT constructs, namely, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions have had a major influence on the incorporation of web technologies by university libraries, and on librarians' and students' use of these tools. A few university libraries were found to be ill-equipped with information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and equipment to facilitate the use of web technologies. This study further established that the UTAUT constructs and the Library 2.0 construct of user-centredness can inform the development of a user-centred model for the incorporation of web technologies by university libraries. The study revealed that the majority of students consider web technologies to be vital tools, enabling them to access study and research information, and to share and publish information with their fellow students, their lecturers and librarians. The study culminated in the design of a user-centred model for the incorporation of web technologies into university libraries services. |
