Librarians' attitudes towards mobile services

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether librarians are familiar with technological innovations and are ready to accept them. The objectives are: to what extent does the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) explain librarians' perceptions of mobile services (m‐services); and to what extent do differences in gender, age, workplace, role, and smart phone use explain librarians' perceptions of m‐services?Design/methodology/approachThe 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. Researchers used two questionnaires to gather data: a personal details questionnaire, and a mobile technology questionnaire.FindingsThis study supported the two core variables model (perceived ease of use and usefulness) of TAM that may predict librarians' behavioral intention to use m‐services in the library. However, it added two more components to the model: personal innovativeness and smart phone usage.Practical implicationsLibrary directors may try to implement more m‐services on their web sites. These services should be simple, attractive, and efficient. They should also try to expose librarians to the benefits and ease of use of m‐services.Originality/valueThe findings emphasize the importance of the TAM that may predict librarians' behavioral intention to use m‐services in the library and may lead to further research in this field.