Exploring Users' Perceptions of Conventional and Unconventional Electronic Resources

Abstract

This study explores and compares Chinese university library users' perceptions of conventional electronic resources inside the library and unconventional electronic resources outside the library in terms of ease of use, usefulness, and usage. Data collected from 278 library users were used for data analysis. The independent samples t test and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) present the exact nature of library users' perceptions of conventional electronic resources and unconventional electronic resources. The paired samples t test suggests that unconventional electronic resources outside the library are playing a role as a complement rather than a substitute to the conventional electronic resources inside the library. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates that both ease of use and usefulness can predict usage in the case of both conventional and unconventional electronic resources. These findings and their implications are discussed.