PURSE 2010

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Application of geostatistics for the assesment of bedrock and water table distributions
(University of Peradeniya, 2010) Madugalla, T. B. N. S.; Senanayake, S. M. D. N.; Jayasena, H. A. H.
Spatial distribution of groundwater geochemistry in Wariyapola area
(University of Peradeniya, 2010) Dissanayake, D. M. C. K.; Wijekoon, P.; Gunatilake, J.
Survey of toxic algae in selected multipurpose reservoirs in Kandy area
(University of Peradeniya, 2010) Hennayaka, H. M. K. D. ; Yatigammana, S. K.
Investigation of interactions of Carbofuran with Pb (II) and Cr(VI)
(University of Peradeniya, 2010) Navaratne, A. N.; Samaranayake, K. G. S. A.
Comparative study of planktons in selected domestic water supply reservoirs in Kandy district
(University of Peradeniya, 2010) Karunarathne, K. M. P.; Yatigammana, S. K.; Kulasooriya, S. A.
User perceptions on user education programmes in University libraries
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Hindagolla, B.M.M.C.B.
Introduction In the modem world information is subjected to constant change in terms of its volume, the technical aspects of its storage and retrieval as well as in the way it is communicated. The advancement of information communication technology has provided many facilities to people to access a wide variety of information within a fraction of time. Hence, access to information has been a driving force in modem knowledge based societies. In the field of university education, access to information is vital to the academic community to expand their knowledge and to engage in research. University Libraries have a vital role to play in attaining these objectives. . Hence, the university library must ensure the proper use of its information resources and services and optimize information requirements of the user population. The users in turn have to be aware of the resources and services of the Library in order to make optimum use of them. Accessing information effectively is a challenge in the present day due to the proliferation of information and its sources. Educating library users in information skills is one way to overcome this challenge. With this objective in mind, researchers in the Library and Information fields have developed different programs, methods, and models to acquire information skills targeting different , " library user groups. The state-sector universities in Sri Lanka have taken measures to conduct user education programmes to a certain extent but the Library network at University of Peradeniya does not offer properly designed user education programmes to enhance the information skills of students. The University of Peradeniya Library network lacks a mechanism to understand how a good user education programme wi II affect the information seeking patterns of users, how library users become information literate and the type of user education programmes to be offered. Although the University of Peradeniya has eight libraries and has an approximate user population of 8000, no scientific study has been conducted in relation to the library user education programmers. The Peradeniya MainLibrary is the mother library of the Peradeniya Iibrary network and it caters to the entire university population. However, it specifically caters to the Faculty of Arts. Therefore, the study focused on the Main Library and the undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts. In this study, we attempt to elicit the perceptions of the users about library user education programmes. The users' views will be a good source of information to identify lapses, strengths, shortcomings and weaknesses of the library programmes that are offered at present and to modify them in line with user needs in the future. The main objective of the study is to find out whether the present day user education programs are geared towards making users aware of all the information resources available in the Library, the services offered by the Library, the users' attitudes about user educational programmes and lastly to make recommendations based on user perceptions for an improved user focused education programme to make the students information literate and to maximize the usage of the resources in the main library. Methodology The study employed the survey design while study site was the Faculty of Arts. According to statistics, the Faculty of Arts holds the largest student population compared to the other faculties. As the largest user category of the Faculty of Arts, undergraduates were selected for the study population. To determine the definite sample size the Cochran (1977) sample frame was used and a random stratified sampling method applied. A sample of 339 was selected and the. research instrument was a questionnaire. The data collected from the questionnaires were entered to the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Scientists version 13). The analyzed data were presented in the forms of bar-charts, pie-charts, tables etc. Results and Discussion Out of the 339 questionnaires distributed, 263 were returned accounting for a percentage of 77.58. According to the data, 100% of respondents had used the main library while 74.9 % users had visited the library daily which is very positive. Out of the total population surveyed, 84.4% users had participated in the library user education programme although only 27% had participated in all three programmes. About 60% of the respondents had indicated that they were made aware of the resources available in the Lending, Reference and Scheduled Reference Sections and the Ceylon Collection but about 70% respondents mentioned that they had not received any awareness regarding special library collections, electronic information resources and audio visual materials. The data further indicates that lack of awareness has been a main factor affecting the users' level of information resources and facilities usage. The chi-square test clearly indicated that there was a significant relationship (P=O.O19) between awareness and the use of information resources and services. The survey further revealed that the students had participated in user education programmes when they were in the first year and 40% of respondents said that they had received information regarding the layout of the library, library rules and regulations, information on finding methods in the library, library resources and its facilities. The data revealed that only 34.6% were satisfied with the current user education programmes while the majority were not satisfied with the current user education programmes conducted at the Main Library. Twenty four percent (24%) of respondents did not say anything about the programmes. The study identified critical factors regarding user dissatisfaction about the programmes. According to the user preference method, a video program to educate users ranked first with 68.82% respondents; introductory lecture ranked second with 68.44% respondents, and small group instruction with practical component ranked as third with 63.11% respondents. Above 60 % of the respondents desired to learn about all areas mentioned in the questionnaire and about 92% of respondents mentioned that the current user education programme needed to be modified with their comments for improvement on the lines such as contents of the programme , time and the structure of the programme. Conclusion The study revealed that the University of Peradeniya Main Library has not made any effort to get user views and feed back about the present day user education programs conducted by the Library and how the existing program should be modified according to current user requirements. The study showed that current library user education programmes do not provide proper awareness about some library resources and services of the Main Library while lack of awareness directly influenced usage of the library resources and services. Furthermore, the study explored user attitudes regarding the library user education programmes and identified user satisfaction and dissatisfaction towards library user education programmes. The information gathered in this study can be used to identify what areas need to be developed and to create a common framework for an improved programme for the undergraduates of the Faculty of Arts. Acknowledgement Financial Assistance given by the University of Peradeniya Research Committee (RG/2009/41 /L) is acknowledged. References Cochran, W.G.(1977) Sampling Techniques. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons. http://informationr.netlir/5- 3/paper76.html [Accessed on 6th April 2009]
Construction of Costas sequences and Costas arrays
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Weerasinghe, S.; Perera, A.A.I.
"The legal age for consensual sex with a male": an analytical study on awareness among female school children in the Central Province
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Vadysinghe, A.N.; Weerakkody, I.R.; Ranmohottige, U.S.N.; Munasinghe, A.
Group representations and characters
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Athapattu, A.M.C.U.M.; Perera, A.A.I.
Pumped Storage Power Plant for Sri Lanka- a case study on electricity transmission aspects
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Vivekananthan, C.; Anparasan, M.; Fernando, M.A.R.M.; Atputharajah, A.
Retina recognition system usingartificial intelligence techniques
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Vino, N.; Pinidiyaarachchi, U. A. J.
Balappabodhatika (Vicitrasara): A Note on a Rare Pali Grammatical Work (Date unknown)
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Kusalanana, D.
Automated efficient method for string set matching using FPGA
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Vidanagamachchi, S.M.; Dewasurendra, S.D.; Ragell, R.G.; Niranjan, M.
A non-linear statistical model for Kalu river daily stream flow prediction
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Hewavitharana, H.A.N.S.; Perera, K.; Nandalal, K.D.W.
Optimization of reinforced concrete encasement to hume pipe culverts using finite elements based analysis
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Buddika, H.A.D.S; Wijesundara, K.K.; Dissanayake, U.I.
Teaching French at the Secondary School Level in the State Schools in Sri Lanka: 30 years after. a critical analysis
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Heart, K.
Phytoplankton and Zooplankton in selected reservoirs of Sri Lanka : a preliminary study
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Perera, M. B. U.; Yatigammana, S. K.; Kulasooriya, S. A.
A new approach to realtime recognition of license plates of moving vehicles
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Wijetunge, A.W.G.C.D.; Ratnaweera, D.A.A.C.
Reading between the lines: Anganagunadapana in its historical context
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Jayaneththi, R.D.
Introduction The changing female attitudes in par with dynamic social and cultural patterns are one of the key factors in Sri Lankan feminist history. During the British colonial era, this change sharply combined with the cultural colonization and decolonization process. With the development of female education and socio- economic activities, women could raise their voice louder in a mail- dominated society. Before the expansion of Buddhist revival movement, there were few courageous women who attempted to criticize their unbalanced social status in that society. For example, Gajaman nona, Ranchagoda lamaya were famous poetesses who grappled with their predetermined destiny. They condemned any unreasonable accusation against women and wielded the weapon of poetry against male dominance. But it is obvious that, after the beginning of Buddhist revival such female representation has faded away. One of main objectives of the Cultural revival movement was to introduce the ideal woman who appropriated for both the newly westernized society as well as for the Sinhalese traditional society. Most of the didactic literature was published to advise women on new behavior patterns, ethics and the value of virginity and chastity. These ideas reflected the Victorian influences and the attempt of establishing the so-called 'glory of the past' . Anganopadesha( 1891), Ovmininihara (1898), Ovamutuhara (1918), Kanta Prabodaya (1936) are few examples for that new genre of literature. Obviously, this pattern led to mitigate women's oppositions and their independent thoughts to some extent. During this time, some books were written by extremists to condemn women's behaviors and to emphasize the value of gentlemen, for which, the lost anthology of poems called 'Virathivivadayo ' is a perfect example. According to the introduction to Anganagunadapana (1894), it is a direct reply to the Virathivivadaya. Therefore, as a radical feminist reaction, Anganagunadapana needs a new historical review and a reinterpretation. Considering these factors the main objective of this research is to analyze Anganagunadapana while locating it in a proper historical discourse. Methodology The methodology of this research is to refer to the contemporary primary sources which were published during those days and to analyze them by considering contemporary social and economic conditions. Special Manuscripts collections called 'Hettiarachchi Collection' and 'Ratnasooriya Collection' in the main library of University of Peradeniya are closely used. The only copy of Anganagunadapana known to be available in the British Museum Library, and a photocopy thereof found in the main library of the University of Peradeniya. These rear materials were used while contextualizing in proper historical discourse. Discussion Cathrine Silva Hamine, the poetesses of the book, was a low country woman who belonged to rural socio-economic class and to Salagama caste. Durawa,Salagama, Karawa were the major castes in the costal area which rapidly engaged in new economic activities and social milieu. In comparison to that of the other low castes, the level of education of female members of these families was considerably satisfactory as they had to compete with the Govigama families. Cathrine Silva Hamine was a perfect reflection of that social diversity who was a schoolteacher in Balapitiya area. Many literary sources to which Catharine Silva has referred in support of prove to her arguments sharply reflects her higher education level. For example, she cites from Buddhist classical literature like Parajikapali, Dampiya atuwa getapada, Manorathapurani. Also she has used literature which emerged from Little Tradition in Sri Lanka like Rajavaliya, Aheiepoianatake, Upadeshabashini .Interestingly she has also referred to Christian scriptures such as the Bible and Decameron by Boccaccio. Furthermore, the work hints at the fact that she could handle a second language. The poetess was very keen to establish equality for women. In the eight stanza, she has argued for the necessity of women's existence in the world. Other stanzas also reflect her broad approach about women's virtues. Conclusion Direct impact of the social changes and economic trends on women's attitudes and behaviors in the colonial era is particularly noticeable. The Buddhist revival movement drove Buddhists to flock together and cultivate nationalist feelings and to encourage cultural decolonization. In addition to the role-models like Anagarika Darmapala, there were significant motivations at the grass-root level of the society to smoothen this process. Thus, the Anganagunadapana is a strong backing for those who try to establish epitome of' Kuiagana '. References Abayaratna, G.H.S., 'Kawminihara " Vidyaprasada Press. Kanakaratna, A.D.S. (1918) 'Owamutuhara', Colombo: Education section of the Buddhist theosophical society. Karunaratne, S.W.M., (1891) 'Anganopadesa', Colombo: Joes Fonseka and Sons Printers. Parakrarna, Arjuna, (ND) "The Case of the Missing Author: Seeing Through Transparency in a Woman's Text, (ND). Silva, N. Catherine (1894) 'Anganagunadapana', WeIitara: Vidyaratnalankara Press.
The application of genetic research in the study of formative ethnic identities in ancient Sri Lanka: The case of 'Haemoglobin D Punjab' and the 'kaboja' identity
(University of Peradeniya, 2010-12-16) Hewawasam, C. S.; Dissanayake, A. M. S. D. M.

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