Use of Online Databases by the Third-Year Students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa

Abstract

Online databases are an important part of the information resources provided by universities in many countries. They are valuable and up-to-date sources of information that provide electronic access to journal articles, books, reports, the latest research in various fields, and other publications through the internet. Several studies have been done on the online databases by researchers but the use of online database by undergraduate students is the area that needs more research. This study sought to investigate the use of online databases by third-year students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa. The study also looked at the types of online database that the students use, the training programmes that help students to use online databases, and the challenges encountered by the students when accessing online databases. The study employed a quantitative research method and adopted a survey research design with a study population of 80 third-year students from which a sample of 63 students was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. The findings revealed that some of the third-year students are aware of the online databases that are provided by the library and some are not aware of those online databases and also that some use them and others do not use them. The study recommends that students use online databases to do their assignments and that the library promotes or markets online databases so that the students can understand the value of online databases.