| As the availability of digital resources increased exponentially over the last two decades, academic libraries have heavily invested in electronic resources and made them accessible via library Web portals. Yet, underutilization of library Web portals is a common concern among academic libraries. According to the information systems (IS) literature, technology use is determined by user beliefs about the system (i.e., perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, information quality, system quality, and service quality), and user satisfaction. Prior research has also shown that user training is critical in fostering positive users' perceptions and increasing information systems usage.;Based on the technology acceptance model and the IS success theoretical frameworks, this longitudinal research was conducted to determine if a semester-long, credit-bearing information literacy course would have a positive impact on undergraduates' perceptions and use of the University at Albany Libraries' Web portal. A mixed methods approach was applied, and the sample population consisted of the undergraduate students enrolled in a three-credit General Education Information Literacy course, Internet and Information Access. Results from three rounds of survey (pre-course, post-course, and an online follow-up) indicated that the course exhibited a long-term positive impact on participants' use of the portal for research purposes.;This study also identified factors influencing undergraduates' usage of the portal before and after the course intervention through Partial Least Squares modeling. Compared with the three quality factors, perceived usefulness exerted a stronger influence on user satisfaction which led to portal usage in both cases. Competing resources and voluntariness of use displayed significant negative impacts on portal utilization before the intervention. The negative effect of voluntariness of use became non-significant at the end of the instruction. Further investigation showed that current use led to continued satisfaction which prompted continued use. The outcome of interviews confirmed the quantitative analysis results. It also revealed that a lack of rigor in curriculum and usability were major causes for underutilization, along with the fit between tasks and the portal. As the credit-bearing information literacy course was well-received by participants, having instructors advocate for the usage of the portal was the most agreed-upon recommendation for promoting use. |
