Librarians' attitudes towards mobile services

Mobile technology

Mobile devices and applications provide access to information in the comfort of people's homes and offices, using their cellular phones or personal digital assistants. These new devices enable access to information without the limitations of space and time. When discussing mobile devices we usually think about smart phones that belong to 3G or 4G telephony technology that enable high speed access to data services such as the web and e‐mail. According to the Pew Internet Report (February, 2012) (Brenner, 2013) among cell phone owners, 53 percent own a smartphone. 87 percent of smartphone owners use their phones to access the internet or email, 78 percent of these users say that they go online using their phone on a typical day. 94 percent of smartphone owners ages 18‐29 use their phones to go online, with 81 percent doing so on a typical day. In addition, Kessler (2011) believes that, as a result of the current rate of change and adoption, the mobile web will be bigger than desktop internet use by 2015. Given the increasing number of mobile technologies, mobile devices, and mobile technology users in first‐world countries, the question arises as to whether it is time for libraries to develop a fully mobile web site which can provide information for a wide variety of people in various places.

Mobile libraries

In the past libraries were collections of books, manuscripts, journals, and other sources of recorded information. However, along the years, traditional libraries have changed into digital and virtual ones where users can access the vast collections of information remotely, using various computer information technologies (ITs). The most recently technological innovation is the term mobile library. According to Choi (2009) a mobile library provides services anytime, anywhere, using mobile devices and mobile internet service. In addition, mobile technology enables flexibility for library services as well as real time access to up‐to date information (Herman, 2007; Karim et al., 2006). When considering the idea of a mobile library, we should remember that the traditional library website provides access to different library services such as: the catalog, databases, information about forthcoming events and programs, location and help. We should also consider whether we would like to include all these services in the mobile version of the library or if we should address only some of them. Several studies have investigated this issue.

West et al. (2006) reported that the Ball State University Libraries mobile site offers patrons a catalog, journal searching, information about library collections and services, videos about the library and links to mobile reference web sites. They concluded that the library web site can be adapted to the limited power, memory, small screen size, and bandwidth of mobile devices, and that size screens can present services that are easy to read, navigate, as well as offer timely information. Kroski (2008) proposed that there are various services that can be available via the library's mobile web site. However, the services could be chosen to reflect the special needs of the library's users. For example, if the library serves undergraduate students, the mobile site should include reference and technology services, but also basic searching features. Bridges et al. (2010) developed a mobile library site that included location‐based information, search the catalog function, text and e‐mail features and the ability to view the staff directory.

Examining the status of mobile library sites to date reveals that few libraries appear to consider the great impact implications mobile devices are having on the user community and their utilization of digital information resources (Lippincott, 2010). Mills (2009) reported that 55 percent of students wanted to access the library catalog from their mobile phones. This trend along with the increasing number of users of mobile internet (Smith and Caruso, 2010), may indicate that people should take seriously the notion of mobile libraries. Speight (2009) claimed that the prominence of mobile devices have caused libraries to stop ignoring their existence and influence. Moreover, Meier (2010) found that 55 percent of students would like to search the library catalog on their phones frequently or occasionally. This was in addition to accessing information such as library hours, location, contact information and borrowing records. Walsh (2010) found that students do not regard library text messages as intrusive. These studies are in contrast to the California Digital Library's findings (Paterson and Low, 2011), suggesting that students did not want to be notified by texting. However, both studies emphasize that students were most interested in mobile library services only when there is a need or an immediate benefit to them. Paterson and Low (2011) also found there is a strong interest among students for mobile library services and added that academic libraries face a challenge in attempting to create an information service containing digital content that is readily available, tailored to users' needs, and yet is compelling. Nonetheless, we can justifiably conclude that although the mobile library is still in its infancy, it has bright prospects (Choi, 2009). Based on the professional literature that addressed the various possibilities of shifting the traditional library into a mobile one, and on students' interest in this change, the current research would explore whether Israeli librarians are aware of these technological innovations, and whether they appreciate the benefits and costs of using mobile technologies within their workplaces.

TAM

The theoretical background for the current research is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989), that describes how job‐related IT innovations are adopted by workers for their routine work. TAM is one of the recognized models that purport to assess and explain users' acceptance behavior towards information and communication technologies (Melas et al., 2011). It is based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) from social psychology, which posits that attitudes and beliefs are related to people's intentions to perform. That is, an attitude towards a behavior is determined by behavioral beliefs about the consequences of the behavior, based on the information available to the individual, and affective evaluation of those consequences for the individual. According to theory of reasoned action, beliefs are the person's estimated probability that performing a specific behavior will result in a certain consequence (Teo et al., 2008).

TAM model postulates that users' IT acceptance consists of two cognitive beliefs: perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness (Davis, 1989). Perceived ease of use is defined as the degree to which an individual believes that using a specific technology will be free from effort. Therefore, if one IT application is perceived as easier to use than another, it is likely that it will be more accepted by users, assuming all other factors are equal. Perceived usefulness refers to the extent that an individual believes using a certain system would enhance his or her job performance (Davis, 1989). Davis (1989) assumed that perceived usefulness is an extrinsic factor that affects use of IT applications. TAM contains three basic relationships affecting behavioral intention: perceived ease of use that impacts perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use that leads to behavioral intention, and perceived usefulness that affects behavioral intention (Lopez‐Nicholas et al., 2008). The model has been validated across genders (Adams et al., 1992; Venkatesh and Davis, 2000) and cultures (Straub et al., 1997).

Over the years, researchers have used the TAM to investigate users' acceptance towards different technological applications such as the graphic user interface (Agarwal and Prasad, 1998), mainframe applications (Dishwa and Strong, 1999), and the computer resource center (Taylor and Todd, 1995). Researchers also used TAM with educational issues such as student satisfaction with online learning (Drennan et al., 2005) and the effect of technical support on student acceptance of WebCT course management system (Ngai et al., 2007). Some studies have been conducted in the library arena. Heinrichs et al. (2007) examined TAM in relation to academic library websites. Goh (2011) used it to explore gender differences in short message service‐based mobile library search system adoption. Kim (2010) used the model to address gender roles and use of university library website resources. Nov and Ye (2009) employed TAM to suggest an integrative model focusing on resistance to change and adopting digital libraries. As noted, several studies have focused on the TAM within the library and information science (LIS) arena. However, they did not relate to the assimilation of mobile technologies in libraries and addressed the TAM from users' perspectives. The current study would examine the TAM from a different point‐of‐view and will delve into librarians' perspectives towards the assimilation of the most up‐to date technologies: mobile services (m‐services) in the libraries.

TAM has been modified through the years (Legris et al., 2003; Li et al., 2008). A number of studies have extended its basic framework. Venkatesh and Davis (1996) suggested that users' computer self‐efficacy affects perceived ease of use. Venkatesh and Davis (2000) maintained that computer self‐efficacy, intrinsic motivation and emotion influence ease of use. Further, Venkatesh and Davis (2000) proposed that subjective norm, voluntariness, and image, as well as job relevance, output quality, and result demonstrability impact user acceptance of systems. Van der Heijden (2004) posited that, in hedonic systems, perceived usefulness was not an effective predictor of technology acceptance; perceived enjoyment was found to be a better one.

Moreover, Ha et al. (2007) determined that in some cases involving hedonic behavior, such as mobile games, perceived enjoyment was also a better predictor than perceived usefulness. Moore and Benbasat (1991) claimed that the perceived usefulness structure is broadly based, while Chau (1996) asserted that the perceived usefulness is a combination of near‐term and long‐term usefulness. Several researchers who investigated internet adoption at work claimed that perceived near‐term consequences are significantly more influential than long‐term ones (Chang and Cheung, 2001).Also, long‐term usefulness was found to be an important motivator for accepting some technological innovations (Jiang et al., 2000; Lu et al., 2003). In addition, various studies have found that personal innovativeness is a significant predictor for perceived ease of use (Lu et al., 2005; Serenko, 2008; Yi et al., 2006) and behavioral intentions (Crespo and Rodriguez, 2008; Taylor, 2007). Hence, the next section discusses personal innovativeness.

Personal innovativeness

Agarwal and Prasad (1998) have coined a new term in the domain of IT: personal innovativeness. They define this as the individual's willingness to try out new IT, claiming that an individual with higher levels of personal innovativeness is expected to have more positive intentions to use new IT. Uray and Dedeoglu (1997) and Venkatraman (1991) propose that innovative people will search for intellectually or sensually stimulating experiences. Researchers found that people with higher personal innovativeness tend to develop more positive beliefs towards new technologies compared with those with those who are less so. They are also more prone to experimentation and therefore more likely to adopt new technologies despite the high degree of uncertainty inherent in the adoption process (Lu et al., 2005).

Demographic and personal characteristics

Age has been one of the components affecting IT adoption. It is associated with usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and facilitating conditions in many TAM‐related studies (Lu et al., 2006). Venkatesh et al. (2003) claim that older workers are less willing to adopt IT products. In another study, Morris et al. (2005) found that older workers are influenced more by attitude toward using technology, subjective norm (social influence), and perceived behavioral control (facilitating conditions).

Along with age, gender is considered to have a major role in IT acceptance research. Gefen and Straub (1997) found that men and women have different perceptions about ease of use and usefulness toward information systems, and thus have different system usage behavior. They also showed that men tend to feel more at ease with computers. Morrow et al. (1986) asserted that women experience high levels of anxiety when using computers. The gender schema theory postulates that these differences stem from gender role and socialization processes, which are reinforced from birth, rather than a result of biological gender (Kirchmeyer, 1997; Lynott and McCandless, 2000).

Data collection

The research was conducted in Israel during the first semester of the 2012 academic year. It encompassed three groups of Israeli librarians: academic, public, and special. The researchers sent a message and a questionnaire via e‐mail to an Israeli library and information science discussion group, asking its members to complete the questionnaire and send it back through e‐mail. This discussion group encompasses about 800 librarians. A total of 153 responses were received.

Data analysis

Of the respondents, 26 (17 percent) were male and 127 (83 percent) were female. Their average age was 47. Regarding work experience, 47 (30.7 percent) had been librarians for 11‐15 years, 37 (24.2 percent) for more than 20 years, 23 (15 percent) for ten to 15 years, 23 (15 percent) for five to ten years, and 23 (15 percent) for one to five years. Their places of employment were divided among academic libraries (n=96, 62.7 percent), public libraries (n=33, 21.6 percent) and special libraries (n=24, 15.7 percent). Concerning their education, 46 (30.1 percent) had a Bachelor's in Library and Information Science (LIS), 74 (48.4 percent) had a Master's in LIS, and 33 (21.6 percent) had a professional certificate in LIS. A total of 122 (79.7 percent) were librarians and 31 (20.3 percent) were information specialists. Respondents were either library directors 27 (17.6 percent) staff librarians or information specialists 126 (82.4 percent). IN total, 43 (28.1 percent) used smart phones, and 110 (71.9 percent) did not.

Measures

Researchers used two questionnaires to gather data: a personal details questionnaire, and a mobile technology questionnaire (Appendix, Figure A1). The personal details questionnaire had eight statements. The mobile technology questionnaire, based on Liu et al. (2010), was modified for this study and consisted of 15 statements rated on a seven‐point Likert scale (1=strongest disagreement; 7= strongest agreement). A principal components factor analysis using Varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalization was conducted and explained 60 percent of the variance. Principle components factor analysis revealed four distinct factors. The first related to librarians' behavioral intention to use mobile technology (items 3, 6, 8, 12); the second to librarians' perceptions about mobile technology ease of use (items 1, 9, 11); the third to librarians' personal innovativeness (items 5, 7, 10); and the fourth to librarians' perceptions about mobile technology usefulness (items 2, 4, 13, 14, 15). The values of Cronbach's Alpha were 0.82, 0.84, 0.83, and 0.70 respectively. The overall alpha was 0.91.

The TAM model

The present research explored whether perceived ease‐of‐use, usefulness, personal innovativeness, and smart phone usage may predict librarians' behavioral intention to use m‐services. Results indicate that the hypotheses that were based on the TAM model were accepted. The first two hypotheses support the TAM model, suggesting that the higher librarians perceive mobile technology as easy to use and useful, the higher their behavioral intention to use m‐services in the library. In other words, results show that the core TAM variables (usefulness and perceived ease‐of‐use) relate to the intended use of m‐services in the library. This study has expanded the scope of the TAM, supported its main hypotheses, and associated it with a new technological environment: mobile libraries. However, these results are not surprising as they echo other studies that found that these two factors are key variables that may affect system usage ((Adams et al., 1992; Lee et al., 2006; Subramanian, 1994). It seems that extrinsic motivation explains these findings. People will use m‐services only if they perceive that such usage would help them perform their desired task. Hence, librarians will use m‐services if they find them easy to use, require less efforts by users, and if they assume that using these applications will increase productivity within the library. Thus, web site designers and library directors should perhaps include new mobile features that will be simple and easy to use in their web sites, thereby increasing both the usability of different library services, and librarians' intentions to use them.

Personal innovativeness

H3 was accepted, showing that the more librarians perceive themselves as open to innovations, the more they intend to try out m‐services in the library. This finding is consistent with other studies (Uray and Dedeoglu, 1997; Venkatraman, 1991) claiming that innovative people search for mentally or sensually stimulating experiences. In our study, it appears that these librarians are more technologically adventurous and seek new and dynamic innovations in order to incorporate them into their libraries to make them more attractive places for patrons. Perhaps they understand that in order to survive the current global situation in which libraries are closed down as a result of budget cuts and lack of users, it is time for them to revive the relevance of the library. Adopting m‐services may serve to indicate that libraries have changed into digital, up‐to‐date organizations that offer patrons attractive services and enable them to use library resources and services without requiring them to be present in the physical library. Perhaps library directors should pay more attention to librarians' personality characteristics when recruiting them to work, thus choosing people who are more personal innovative, who would more easily adopt and assimilate new technological platforms in their future work.

Smart phone use

H4 was also accepted, indicating that those librarians who have already used smart phones are more willing to add m‐services to their libraries. This finding can be associated with Spacey et al.'s (2004) results. They explored the attitudes of public library staff to the internet, based on TAM, and suggested that attitudes to the internet are related to its actual use. In other words, those librarians who have used the internet have better attitudes towards it. Likewise, it appears that librarians who have already experienced mobile phones see their advantages and understand that their use in the library may change and improve library functioning, and expose it to a different population of users: those who prefer mobile virtual services to physical libraries.

Age and gender

The current study did not reveal differences concerning intentions to use m‐services, based on age or gender among librarians. These findings are contrary to the literature that suggests that age and gender are key factors that impact technology use and intention to use technology (Gefen and Straub, 1997; Morris et al., 2005). These findings can be explained as follows: the issue of m‐services is quite new. Many of the mobile applications are easy to use and quite intuitive, so people do not have to expend time or effort in order to use them. Perhaps this is the reason that women and older librarians do not perceive m‐services differently than men and younger librarians. This finding can also be related to other studies that investigated women's use of social networks. Researchers assert that women intend to be more intense users of social sites than men (Hargittai, 2007; Hargittai and Hsieh, 2010; Thelwall, 2008). Hence, we can see that there is a shift from previous studies claiming that women feel less at ease with technology. In addition, research concerning the impact of age confirms the Pew report (July, 2011) which reported that the frequency of social network use among young users was stable in the last year, while usage among older ages increased (Hampton et al., 2011). These facts demonstrate that social networks do not belong only to teenagers and young adults. Thus, the current study supports this trend by showing a blurring between younger or older librarians, and between women and men in their perceptions of advanced technology.