Validating an Instrument to Assess Librarians’ Roles in Supporting Digital Scholarship Services: A Pilot Study of Malaysian Research Universities

Abstract

_{This study validates a survey instrument designed to assess librarians’ roles in supporting digital scholarship services in Malaysian research university libraries, particularly collaborative practices related to digital humanities. Content validity was evaluated through expert review using the Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI), while a pilot study involving 30 librarians examined reliability and internal consistency using descriptive analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. The findings demonstrated strong content validity, with I-CVI values ranging from 0.94 to 1.00 and S-CVI/Ave scores between 0.94 and 1.00, while Cronbach’s alpha values exceeded 0.90 for all constructs, indicating high reliability. Although limited by the small pilot sample, the validated instrument provides a foundation for larger-scale studies on librarians’ roles in digital scholarship environments. Practically, the instrument offers library managers a structured tool to assess librarians’ collaborative engagement and support professional development. This study contributes a validated measurement instrument tailored to the evolving roles of academic librarians in digital scholarship contexts, with potential for adaptation in other higher education settings.}