• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.423-446
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• 2003

Library and information science professionals have to grasp user's needs and make the best decisions when designing, acquiring, and managing library information systems. However, it is not easy for them to make the decision owing to the lack of an understanding of the characteristics of a specific user group in computer-based information systems in libraries. The aim of this study was to provide information on the characteristics and abilities of specific user groups such as male & female student groups, undergraduate & graduate ones, Sciences and Humanities majored ones etc. The actual OPAC systems were searched by specific student user groups in selected academic libraries in both Republic of Korea and the States for the purpose(Author, Title, and Subject search). Ouestionnaire was prepared and administered to Korean college students in the city of Taegu, Korea and adjacent area. Two hundred and seven usable questionnaires were obtained and analyzed. These were analyzed using descriptive, inferential statistics, and SPSS software. The major findings by data analysis of this study were described in chapters 4 and 5 of this paper in detail. Also, conclusions were drawn from the findings in this paper, and recommendations were proposed when designing, adopting, or managing a new system.