Exploring Individual and Social Factors that Influence Human Belief: An Analysis in the Light of Quran and Sunnah

استقصاء العوامل المؤثرة في الاعتقاد الإنساني من الناحية الفردية والاجتماعية: دراسة تحليلية في ضوء القرآن والسنة This research work was primarily designed to explore the factors that affect and change the human beliefs. The paper particularly addresses the issue from individual and social perspectives in relation to Holy Quran and authentic traditions of Holy Prophet PBUH. Qualitative research approach was employed for the collection and demonstration of data. The review of relevant literature concluded that there are many factors which seriously affected and changed the human beliefs. However, the most important and common factors are four: individual, social, religious, and economic. These factors play a significant role in changing Islamic beliefs of an individual. In this context, it was recommended that Islamic states in general, and Islamic scholars in particular should play their role to preserve Islamic beliefs in its original form. Furthermore, Muslim scholars should also design the strategy of purging beliefs from impurities and presenting them in systematic, logical and rational way along with their impact on the society

Measuring Service Quality in College Libraries of Pakistan

College libraries play an important role to support the curriculum, fulfill research and general information needs, and promote the information literacy skills among students, staff and faculty members. Library service is one of the major indicators for the provision of quality education in any institution. A library is an effective one if it provides library services to meet the entire demands of their users. Post graduate college libraries in Pakistan are facing the problems related to library staff, stock, information technology application, and library physical facilities etc. As a result, they are not able to provide services at par with developed countries. So, there is a dire need to observe the status of availability of library services in post graduate college libraries of Pakistan. This study addresses the problem of quality of library services and their availability in college libraries of Pakistan.Specifically, the study observes the users’ expectations and perceptions with library service quality (LSQ). It examines individual differences in library service quality across users’ types, gender, academic disciplines, and college types. It also identifies the services that meet or fall short of users’ expectations for excellent service quality from college libraries of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Contrary to previous studies conducted in developed countries, this study has been conducted in the context of Pakistan, a developing country in South Asian region. The data was collected through a questionnaire from core library users’ groups (faculty, postgraduate and under graduate students) of 22 post graduate college libraries of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The users were invited to rate their comments in two parts. In the first part, the users commented on the availability of library services using four point rating scale. In the second part, study participants responded to 22 LibQUAL items for desired and perceived iii performance scores on 1 (low) to 5 (high) scales on side by side two columns. Total 998 valid responses were finalized for data analysis. The results of the study revealed that out of 20 college library services, only three services were completely available, twelve were partially available, whereas five services were not being provided by college libraries of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The study examined that none of the service quality attributes met users desired expectations. A significant statistical difference was found among different types of library users on library service quality. Similarly, a significant difference was also noted on the basis of academic discipline, gender, and college type. The service quality of female college libraries was better than that of male college libraries. College library users showed high level of expectations regarding library service quality. Library as place (LP) was regarded as the highest expected service quality dimension followed by ‘affect of service’ (AS) dimension. The ‘information control’ (IC) dimension was rated the least expected service quality dimension. The users wanted attractive and comfortable study space for individual and group study. They emphasized for polite, helpful, and enthusiastic staff. The users desired for print and electronic information sources with easy-to use access tools. The findings of the study suggested allocation of proper library funds for the improvement of infrastructure and recruitment of knowledgeable staff that recognizes the needs of college library users. The study also proposed the availability of print and electronic resources with modern equipment and library website. It was also observed that open ended comments provided by the users confirmed the results of above mentioned quantitative study. iv The results of the study can be helpful for college librarians, college administration, the Higher Education Department (HED), Government of the Punjab, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for future planning, improvement of services and allocation of resources. This research thesis presented discussion, limitations, conclusions, recommendations, implications of the study, and directions for future research. To the best of the knowledge of the researcher, this study is the first in-depth effort with respect to service quality of college libraries of the Punjab province of Pakistan using LibQUAL.