Analysis of Factor Influencing the Tablet Acceptance for Library Information Services: A Combination of UTAUT and TTF Model

Abstract

Increasingly, powerful mobile technology, like the tablet, empowers learners to seek information in mobile learning scenarios virtually anywhere and anytime. It is important for the academic library to look at how students use their tablets for library information seeking tasks to fully understand the nature of the patron's task and the need for the tablet. This study investigates the function of mobile technology based on the information seeking task, with particular reference to the appropriateness of tablet characteristics for the information seeking task in a library online database, downloading and reading from the screen, the effect of the patron's perception on their behavioural intention (BI) to use the tablet, and a measure of the patron's acceptance. Adapting the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model requires re-specification to suit a specific information system. The re-specific model introduces new constructs and new measuring instruments. New constructs were used for exogenous predictors of the UTAUT variables as well as including integration variables namely technology characteristics and task characteristics that were explicitly contained in the task-technology fit (TTF) model. These extensions and integrations of UTAUT have been valuable in expanding our understanding of technology adoption and extending the boundaries of the theory. Our research found that TTF and performance expectancy (PE) have a direct effect on actual use (AU). In addition, we also found a significant effect of the TTF on PE which in turn influences BI to accept the tablet for library information seeking tasks. This shows the importance of TTF. Besides, the results showed that interaction with library search systems revealed the strongest effect among the exogenous variables, which ultimately determines the AU of the tablet for library information seeking tasks.