Factors Influencing Access to and Usage of E-Resources at Nkumba University, Uganda

Abstract

Electronic resources (e-resources) are now generally perceived as powerful sources of information and are regarded as indispensable scholarly reference resources. With easy access, e-resources provide synthesised information sources with regularly updated information and hyperlinks to offsite contents providing the latest information and thinking on a subject. Aiming to explore the access and usage of e-resources at Nkumba University Library, Uganda, this study investigated the level of accessibility to and usage of subscribed e-resources by third-year undergraduate students. Understanding the level of access to and usage of e-resources is important because it gives pointers to the level of access that students have to contemporary knowledge in the learning and research processes. A positivist approach that hinged onto the modified unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model formed the theoretical basis of the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, interviews and observations. The questionnaire return rate of 51 per cent, encompassing 110 individuals out of 216, was achieved. This research provides evidence and pointers that need to be considered when designing interventions to encourage the access to and usage of e-resources in contextually similar environments. The study proposes a conceptual framework that depicts factors cardinal in influencing access to and usage of e-resources especially in resource-constrained countries.