http://www.digital.lib.esn.ac.lk//handle/123456789/2879 International Symposium 2018 EMERGING TRENDS IN EDUCATION AND LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE which covers the theme of ‘Re-Engineering Libraries to Align with Transitioning Educational & Technological Paradigms’ 2026-04-08T18:44:05Z http://www.digital.lib.esn.ac.lk//handle/1234/14494 Acceptance of Social Media as a Learning Resource in Higher Education: A Case Study at University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Hindagolla, B.M.M.C.B; Marasinghe, J.C The purpose of this study is to explore the acceptance of social media as a learning resource in higher education by Nursing and Radiography & Radiotherapy undergraduates in the University of Peradeniya. A Cross sectional survey research design was applied. Purposive sampling technique was used to select sample and 150 questionnaires were administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS and results were presented using descriptive statistics. Study findings showed that undergraduates are aware of the concept of social media and majority of them are using social media for entertainment and sharing contents. Study found that Face book and Youtube are the most preferred sites among the social media networks surveyed. Majority of undergraduates have positive perceptions on social media acceptance as well as use of social media as a leaning resource. Undergraduates showed their readiness to use social media as a learning resource in the study, but how it is being applied and the outcomes of using it within the university sector needs to be further researched. International Symposium on Emerging Trends in Education and Library & Information Science 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.digital.lib.esn.ac.lk//handle/1234/14493 Reading Habits and Obstacles Faced by School Children in the Northern and Eastern Provinces in Sri Lanka Sunil, W; Amarasiri, G.D; Uditha Shyamal Gunasekara, A.K; Kamalamngani Subasinghe Reading occupies a pivotal role in the life of a man. Reading opens the doors of the treasures of knowledge. Reading is one of the most important components of our language and it is an essential tool for lifelong learning for all learners. In order to face the 21st century, education has to prepare these learners to adapt to social and technological changes that are taking place at an unprecedented rate. In this context, reading is a resource for continued education, for the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, for gaining information through media, especially newspapers, books, radio, television and computers. Reading habits are well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a form of consistency on the part of students toward understanding academic subjects and passing at examinations. Both reading and academic achievements are interrelated and dependent on each other. Students often come from different environments and localities with different levels of academic achievement. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits (Bashir & Matto, 2012). Reading which a long-term habit starting at very early ages is the prominent gateway to the knowledge room. It can be assumed as a practice that assists individuals to gain creativeness and develops their critical thinking capacities. In this sense, reading habit is an important tool for the development of personalities and mental capacities of individuals. In addition to personal and mental developments, reading is an access to social, economic and civic life (Clark and Rumbold, 2006). In Sri Lanka education has been provided free of charge from kindergarten to university level since mid-1940s and is given in the mother tongue of the pupil. The constitution of Sri Lanka treats education as a fundamental right, making primary education compulsory for children aged five year and above. Therefore, reading and reading habits play an important role in Sri Lankan education system. Generally reading and reading habits are used to decide different attribute of the readers. National Library and Documentation Services Board (NLDSB) conducted this survey with the objective of understanding the situation of reading habit of school children in Sri Lanka. The first stage of this survey was conducted in other provinces except the Northern and Eastern provinces in 2010. This survey conducted in the Northern and Eastern provinces is the second stage on the survey. This is the first survey conducted on reading habits of school children after the war situation that prevailed in the Northern and Eastern provinces. People of the Northern and Eastern provinces suffered due to the conflict situation for more than three decades. Presently peace has been restored in these areas and this is a good opportunity for expediting the socio economic and educational development. This survey is very important because it helps to understand the situation of reading habits and plan solutions to the problems related to reading habits and library facilities in the Northern and Eastern provinces in Sri Lanka. International Symposium on Emerging Trends in Education and Library & Information Science 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.digital.lib.esn.ac.lk//handle/1234/14492 School Library Automation in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka: A Preliminary Survey Kupeshan, R; Mythili, V This study presents the findings of a survey undertaken to determine the current status of library automation in school libraries of Northern Sri Lanka. In the Sri Lankan context Library automation started in the eighties. The real boost in library automation came after the Introduction of CDS/ ISIS (Computerized Documentation System/ Integrated Information System) software by UNESCO in 1986 and the designation of SLSTIC (Sri Lanka Scientific and Technical Information Center) as the national distributor for the software in 1987 changed the scenario (Talagala & Gamge, 2003). Ravikumar M. N & Ramanan, T. (2014) studied status and prospects of Library Automation in Sri Lankan Universities. A number of seminars were organized on the library automation and they are still being continued. National authorities are finding various ways to finance their library automation projects. This study tries to analyze the various factors that directly or indirectly affect the progress of library automation such as Infrastructure issues, management issues, resources available with the libraries, level of skill of staff, availability of suitable software and the overall status of library automation in school libraries International Symposium on Emerging Trends in Education and Library & Information Science 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.digital.lib.esn.ac.lk//handle/1234/14491 Marketing First Impressions: Library Weeks of Welcome - ‘WOW’ correlations at Orientation of Wayamba University Libraries Thusithakumari, W.M “WOW” (Weeks Of Welcome) is a great way to engage students with library staff and to originate memories linked to positive feelings of accessible services and friendly people in the library. Orientation week is an exciting and high energy time of millennial generation born in between 1980 – 2000. They bring new challenges for todays’ librarians (Wheeler and Harris, 2006), they have and share their opinions rapidly via modern technologies. According to the Collins Concise Dictionary (Collins English Dictionary, 2017) “Orientation” means the adjustment or alignment of oneself of one’s ideas to surroundings or circumstances. At the beginning of the academic year of the freshers, the faculty coordinators of the orientation programmes lead activities which based on simplicity, relax, confidence and fulfillment. However these programmes provide opportunities for freshers to approach the campus with a very good first impression. The major role of the library is to make aware of the users of the use of existing resources and services. Further the library leads them to get the utmost benefit during this Library Orientation Programme (LOP). These Programmes improve the Information Literacy (IL) of the students too. The UNESCO says that the Orientation Programmes of the library supports to its users in various ways in enabling individuals to achieve his or her goals, develop knowledge and potential and participate fully in community and wider society (UNESCO, 2005). Through the Orientation Programme the user fulfills his or her information gaps when is needed and it enables users to master content and extend their investigations, become far more self-directed, assume greater control over their own learning. (Association of Collage and Research Libraries, 2000). The academic library becomes a market – oriented organism and they become hybrid libraries to familiarize the academic learning environment in e-information era. According to the Cal Poly Pomona experience (2015), one of their mission statements of orientation services is “preparing students for lifelong learning” with the goal of connecting students to valuable support resources. Hence the Orientation programmes are designed to help students adjust to university life and ultimately improve retention rates, graduation rates and grade point averages. In 2005, (Wheeler and Harris, 2006) Swarthmore College developed a winning freshman orientation programme and they continue to date. They assess freshman orientation and conclude with best practices for developing dynamic orientation programmes that provide millennial with a positive first impression of the academic library. Librarians are searching for ways to effectively market and promote library resources and services. Rhoades and Hartsell (2008) discussed in their research paper that being a part of the orientation programme allows librarians to reach students they might not be able to reach in any other context. Based on the views as part of the new students’ orientation, scheduled to showcase the Library services, spaces and collections of Wayamba University of Sri Lanka (WUSL) while having a lot of fun (Thusithakumari and Jayawardana, 2017) University libraries are given opportunities to tempt first year students to the library and its services. Often having one chance to ‘WOW’ the new comers, the librarians of the Wayamba University Library Network (WULN) have discovered a way of achieving a victorious extension and advanced programme for first year students. Dramatically over the past few years the research based on “Study on Orientation as a strategy for making great first impression of the academic library: Library Orientation ideas of Wayamba University of Sri Lanka” (Thusithakumari and Jayawardana, 2014) and it was advanced including different ideas with the new orientation programmes. These programmes are set to suit with the interest and expectations of the users. Therefore, WULN looks to provide a comfortable and productive learning environment for their patrons addressing the concept of “Library anxiety”. Library anxiety is the feeling of un-comfortableness within a library setting that has repercussion on a cognitive and behavioral level (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie, 1995). International Symposium on Emerging Trends in Education and Library & Information Science 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z