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

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.