Abstract
Though libraries have invested very high percentage of its annual budget to subscribe e-resources, limited attention was paid to ensure consistent and reliable access of those resources. Many library users access e-resources from outside of the University. Therefore many requests have been made to implement a remote access mechanism for e-resources. The objective of the study was to design a proper remote access mechanism to the users for accessing the e-resources provided by University of Moratuwa library. Publishers have provided access to eresources through Internet Protocol (IP) authentication and not by user identity (user ID) and password. This kind of access created many problems to the users specially for the postgraduate students who do not visit the University regularly as many users need to access e-resources from anywhere, anytime. Using the concept of proxy server, a joint project was conducted between the Center for Information Technology Services (CITeS), University of Moratuwa and the library to provide remote access. Existing Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) was used to authenticate the user access. This allowed remote user to obtain regular, secure access to library e-resources. Journal of the University Librarians Association, Sri Lanka, Vol. 17, Issue 2, January 2013, Page 76-87 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jula.v17i2.6646
Highlights
Computers and related technologies have created a remarkable impact on information dissemination in modern society
Lack of time to come to the library was the most prominent reason for low usage of e-resources reported by the postgraduate students
The majority of the postgraduate students have very limited time to spend in the University as large percentages of them are employed
Summary
Computers and related technologies have created a remarkable impact on information dissemination in modern society. Electronic databases, e-books, e-journals and their indexes are the most important information resources for organizing knowledge. Bibliographic databases, online catalogues and the Internet have altered the traditional library usage patterns, behaviors and expectations of modern library users over the last few decades. Online searching has become a norm and users always expect Google or Wikipedia style access to the library resources. Libraries should have a mechanism for supporting these expectations and behaviors to provide a quality customer service and to fulfill their mission to support teaching, learning and research. Many academic institutions have built collections of e-resources to provide a better service to their users. The library is always committed towards providing access to both print and electronic resources for its patrons in supporting research and curricula. Computers and computer applications have been widely introduced within the library in addition to the integrated library management system (Libsys) introduced in 2000
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
