Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
10-1-2020
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Access is the primary concern of a library thus information retrieval tool like an abstract is as important as the Online Public Access Catalog. Abstracting then plays an important role in improving access to information that is needed by library users. Librarians then perform this task primarily to guide the users in deciding whether an information resource will be consulted or not. The study utilized the descriptive method of research using a survey questionnaire to determine the level of knowledge and practices on the parts and types of abstracts and the challenges on abstracts a document surrogate encountered by library practitioners in selected parts of Northern Luzon, Philippines. The study found out that the library practitioners exhibited a high knowledge and practice on abstracting which can be attributed to their undergraduate studies specifically in the core major subject, indexing and abstracting. However, they enumerated challenges such as: 1) lack of time to carry out their abstracting function; 2) lack of policies and procedures in abstracting; 3) lack of manpower to do the job; 4) lack of motivation to perform the task; and 5) abstract is not a concern of most faculty and students. On the other hand, abstracts continue to be useful to the academic and research community and that library practitioners must find time to create or innovate ways of abstracting important documents useful to their users.