A webbased tool for a current awareness system at the International School of Uganda Library

Abstract

The project study aimed at designing a web-based tool for current awareness system at ISU library in order to improve on the current methods used by the library in order to help patrons get easy access to alerts about new publications brought to the library at their convenience. The project objectives were to; assess how the current awareness service is carried out at the ISU library, identify challenges faced in relation to the current awareness service provision at ISU library, determine the CAS system requirements necessary to develop the current awareness service system at ISU library, design a computerized current awareness service system at ISU library to increase on the awareness and alerting users on the new acquisitions, implement and test the system The researcher used a case study research design and this sought to describe a unit in detail and context. The total population was 400 from which a sample of 40 respondents was drawn and sampled using simple random sampling technique. The methods used to collect data included interviews, use of questionnaires and observation accompanied by their instruments. The study found out that ISU library uses a manual system in the alerting of its users about new publications brought to the library with use of display boards and enquiries to publicize the publications. Challenges faced with the alerting of library users on new publications included ineffective display of notices, not all people attend seminars, inadequate information and communications technologies and insufficient funding. Furthermore, the survey indicated that a web-based tool for current awareness system can improve on the alerting of library users on new publications and reducing on time wastage by library users while waiting for notices. The proposed web-based tool for current awareness system at ISU library was developed with the employment of ICT knowledge i.e. Programming languages like PHP, cascading style sheets and html and it is able to send notifications to users’ mobile phones, facebook timelines, websites as well as Gmail accounts and this will be convenient in alerting users about the new acquisitions. Conclusions were drawn according to the research findings of the study where 32(94)% of respondents said that a current awareness service system would benefit them since it is online-based. The study recommended that the ISU library should adopt and host the proposed system so that it can ease the provision of current awareness service