Users' personality and perceived ease of use of digital libraries: The case for resistance to change

TLDR

Digital libraries have grown steadily over the past two decades, yet their effective use hinges on user acceptance, which is influenced by perceived ease of use. The study investigates how the resistance‑to‑change personality trait influences new users’ perceived ease of use of a university digital library. The authors surveyed 170 new users of the university digital library, measuring their RTC scores and perceived ease of use. Results show that RTC significantly predicts perceived ease of use and strengthens existing technology‑acceptance models.

Abstract

Abstract The use of digital libraries has seen steady growth in the past two decades. However, as with other new technologies, effective use of digital libraries depends on user acceptance, which in turn is affected by users' perception of the system's ease of use. Since the introduction of new technologies often involves some form of change for users, the recent identification of the resistance to change (RTC) personality trait, and the development of a scale to measure it, provides an opportunity to assess the impact of RTC on new users of a digital library system. Drawing on prior research focused on personal differences and system characteristics as determinants of perceived ease of use, in the present study we explore the relationship between RTC and perceived ease of use of a university digital library. The results of a survey of 170 new users of the library system suggest that RTC is a significant determinant of perceived ease of use, and improves the explanatory power of previous technology‐acceptance models. Implications of the findings are discussed.