Usage Of Electronic Resources Research Articles

Usage evaluation of electronic resources in academic and research libraries in Ghana

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the usage of electronic resources within the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) in order to support subscription and budget decisions. This has become necessary because of the difficulty faced by institutions in paying subscription fee as a result of the continuous increase in subscription fee, financial constraints and high exchange rates.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a quantitative research of electronic resource use covering six years. Full-text download statistics of ten most used electronic resources accessed by an average of 33 institutions were sampled from 27 databases and analysed to investigate level of usage. Six out of the ten electronic resources were analysed to evaluate cost per use over four years. Sampling was purposive. Data analysis and presentation were conducted using a descriptive method of analysis of simple frequency count, mean and percentages, while Microsoft Excel was used to organise data into tables and graphs.FindingsFindings revealed an improved usage of CARLIGH-facilitated electronic resources. However, the rate of improvement declined by the year. Also, October and November recorded high usage, while January and May-August recorded low patronage. Finally, using a mean as a benchmark, it was ascertained that costs per use/article was less than $0.98.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of limited data evaluated, the research results may lack generalisation; hence, there is a need for further research.Originality/valueThis study will be useful in supporting librarians’ decisions on continuous subscription, budget justification and promotion.

The usage of electronic resources in the Iran distance education system

The usage of electronic resources in the Iran distance education system

A Three Country Study for Understanding Physicians' Engagement With Electronic Information Resources Pre and Post System Implementation

Deriving the benefits of electronic information resources as provided by electronic medical record systems (EMR) on a global scale is critically dependent on physicians' adoption and continued use of such resources. Yet, there is little known about the factors that motivate physicians to adopt and continue to use electronic information resources. The purpose of this article is to investigate the motivational factors leading to adoption and usage of electronic information resources in diverse regions of the world including developing countries (India and Egypt) and developed countries (the US). Based on the socio-cognitive theory and the decomposed theory of planned behavior, the authors surveyed 314 physicians in three countries in order to assess their engagement with electronic information resources. Data was analyzed via PLS for direct and indirect effects of socio-cognitive constructs and their impact on electronic information resources' use intentions. The authors' results suggest there are similarities as well as differences in factors impacting adoption and usage of electronic information resources pre and post EMR implementation in both developing and developed countries. They found that physicians' perceptions of effort expectations, technological infrastructure and support, and computer self-efficacy were the strongest direct drivers influencing intentions to use electronic information resources both in pre and post-EMR implementations in all three countries that were studied. However, a richer set of factors contributed to physicians' intentions to continue to use electronic information resources, post-EMR, in developed countries as compared to pre-EMR in developing countries. Social influences had a strong indirect effects, influencing physicians' perceptions of effort expectations post-EMR as well as perceptions of performance expectations pre-EMR implementation. Computer self-efficacy was a significant predictor of effort expectations of an electronic information resource both pre and post-EMR implementation while compatibility with physicians' practices significantly influenced performance expectations in both pre and post EMR implementations in all three countries studied. The authors' study provides important theoretical and practical implications for successful management and implementation of electronic information resources such that they are adopted and used in the healthcare environment.

Electronic vs. Print Resources: A Survey of Perception, Usage and Preferences Among Central University Undergraduate Students

The study adopted a cross-sectional survey approach to examine the perception, usage and preferences of electronic and print resources among University Students. The study sought to determine the knowledge of students on electronic library resources, their value for electronic and print resources, ascertain the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intended use these resources. Results from the study indicated that majority 134(57.0%) of the respondents always preferred print resources format for their academic work while 101(43%) occasionally preferred the electronic resource format for academic work. The findings of the study are critical to the implementation of policies and procedures geared toward sensitizing students, faculty and other stakeholders to the benefits of increasing students’ knowledge and use of electronic library resources. The study is envisaged to aid in strategic planning and investments pertaining to these resources and provide recommendations to improve knowledge and use of these resources within university.

The acceptance and use of electronic information resources among faculty of selected Gulf Cooperation Council States universities

This study aims to explain the factors affecting academic faculty’s acceptance and usage of university library electronic information resources (EIRs) services in six public universities in the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCCS). The applied model was tested via structural equation modeling (SEM) by using valid data collected from 499 responses to the questionnaire survey. The findings indicate that performance expectancy, habit, hedonic motivation, and facilitating conditions were significant antecedents of behavioral intention, and that performance expectancy, habit, and behavioral intention were significant antecedents of user behavior. The influence of the individual characteristics as moderators varied based on the path. While much of the research on the adoption of EIRs services provides a rich understanding of behavioral intention and system use, the current study enhances library professionals’ understanding by incorporating further antecedents that can be used to guide approaches to enhancing EIRs services. Several important implications for researchers (i.e. extending the acceptance models with new interventions) and practitioners (i.e. guiding approaches to the enhancement of EIRs services) are discussed.

Awareness and Usage of Electronic Resources among LIS Scholars of Jiwaji University, Gwalior : A Survey

<p>The survey is an attempt to determine and find the present status of awareness, accessibility and use of electronic resources among library and information science research scholars of Jiwaji University Gwalior, like; CD-ROM databases, online databases, online journals, OPAC etc. The study was done to find out the challenges, benefits, and progress gained by research scholars while accessing the e-resources. It is found out through study that ‘Shodhganga’ was mostly used (95 per cent) by research scholars, followed by DOAJ. It was also found out that research scholars got information about available e-resources and databases in their institute through the library website (45.5 per cent), followed by searching on Internet. A detailed result of this survey was discussed and recommendations were made to improve and enhance the usage of e-resources. </p>

Holistic Global Citizenship Education & Global Entrepreneurship for the Challenge of the 21st Century

In integrating computers in higher education, researchers have proposed that positive attitudes toward computers and high computer self-efficacy levels could be important factors in helping students learn computer skills and use computers. It is also expected that LIS Postgraduate students should be knowledgeable and comfortable with electronic resource usage. It is against these backgrounds that this study was conducted. Suvey research design was adopted, the population was Library and Information Science postgraduate students in two selected library schools in Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was the questionnaire, two hundred and thirty nine (239) copiesof questionnaire were administered, two hundred and seven (207) were sucessfully retrieved and found to be useable, representing 86.6% response rate. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferencial statistics. Results showed that in spite of the potentials emerging technologies offers in Library Schools globally, in Nigeria, there is not very evidential that Library Schools are integrating ICTs into their instructions. It was found that among the two library schools studied, there were no operational/functional computer laboratory with internet facilities, access by students were restricted due to limited space as at the time of this study, this go a long way to show that LIS postgraduate students depend solely on their PCs with modem as alternative internet connector or commercial cyber cafe as the last resort. The above confirmed that there was no computer laboratory with functional internet facilities for postgraduate students as the time of this study. Recommendations for the study include that drastic measures should be taken by LIS educators/administrators to provide computers with functional internet facilities to LIS postgraduate students in their various schools to eliminate any barrier confronting them in order to enhance efficiency and quality of teaching, learning and research services. It was also recommended that other researchers should study more library schools in Nigeria on ICT integration and usage.

Use of Electronic Information Resources by Faculty of Engineering College Library-A Study

The basic aim of the study is to observe the utilisation of electronic information resources among the faculty members of Lakireddy Bali Reddy College of Engineering, Vijayawada, along with the investigation of the usage of different type of electronic information resources. The survey design method with the help of a wellstructured questionnaire is used in the study and 246 faculty members of Lakireddy Bali Reddy College of Engineering were randomly selected as sample for this study. The study aimed at identifying the awareness levels, methods of usage of the available electronic resources in the library, frequency of usage of the resources by the faculty in the college library. The results obtained revealed that faculty of different branches are quite aware and has high usage of the electronic information resources. Based on the findings, the study was concluded that electronic information resources are necessary for all department faculty of Lakireddy Bali Reddy College of Engineering for their individual development and for the research and teaching activities.

User's Attitude towards Electronic Information Resources at CPRI and CIHT, Jalandhar, Punjab

The advancement of technology and its applications have challenged the activities and functioning of libraries and information centres. Libraries have been employing new techniques and applications in the form of electronic resources and services to satisfy the needs of users. It is widely held view that low awareness and poor skills to use technology are the primary reasons of less utilization of electronic resources. This paper is an attempt to study the issues like attitude, usage and satisfaction of electronic information resources of users. A questionnaire based survey was used for data collection. Study reveals that the scientific respondents are overall satisfied with electronic resources. But in the cases of non-scientific respondents, electronic resources are not fully utilized. Lack of awareness and low skill levels are the main constraint to use EIRs. Study also recommended some comprehensive information literacy program that should be conducted to promote awareness and use of electronic information resources among non scientific staff.

Library training to promote electronic resource usage

PurposeThe purpose of this paper in information literacy assessment is to explore how library training can promote electronic resource usage. Increasing the usage of electronic resources is an issue of concern for many libraries all over the world. Several studies stress the importance of information literacy and instruction to increase the usage.Design/methodology/approachThe present article presents the results of implementing training programmes to increase the use of the e-library.FindingsTraining sessions increase the usage of library e-resources significantly; however, the effect seems to be short-lived and training sessions alone may not increase the overall long-term usage.Originality/valueThe present paper presents a study of training sessions as means to increase awareness and usage of library e-resources. Implications for the planning of training are discussed.

Analyzing Demographic Influence, Usage and Availability of Electronic Resources among Baptist Theological Seminary Students, Ogbomoso, Nigeria

The primary aim of the study is to identify whether there are any significant or major differences among demographic variables such as gender, age group, faculty, usage and experience of users among the Baptist Theological Seminary student of Ogbomoso. The study adopted a descriptive survey research method. Questionnaires were used as the main instrument for data collection after a detailed literature review. The questionnaire was designed and distributed to 238 respondents in Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso. The sampling method adopted for this study was Systematic Random Technique. The researcher made use of 238 and 207 were returned, given a response rate of 87.0%. Simple percentage was used to analyze the collected questionnaires through presentations of simplified tables. The findings revealed that there was significant relationship between availability of electronic resources and utilization of electronic library resources. Demographic factors were also analyzed to see if it has effect on usage of electronic library resources. There was no significant relationship between gender and use of electronic library resources though the respondents were more of males. The internet, e-journals and other electronic resources were important sources of information for the students. Majority of users centered their usage of electronic resources on Internet usage only. Students’ demographic factors should not be a barrier to e-resources use and as a result, students of all ages and gender should endeavor to acquire knowledge required to enable them make effective use of online library resources anytime and anywhere. Both young and old students should be encouraged and sensitized on the benefits available in the use of library electronic resources. The great majority of the faculties use printed sources more than e‐sources, but they also use e‐sources quite frequently. Use is mostly of books, websites and printed journals. It was also found that the use of e‐resources is higher in some faculties than others and also, the results indicated that the use of e‐resources is positively influenced by the respondents’ perceived usefulness of resources, the convenience of access to the sources and their academic productivity. This study would hopefully benefit the academicians, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners that has interest on electronic library resources and demographic related data.

Analysis of Usage of Electronic Resources by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Institutions in India

In the digital era, research scientists are predominantly dependent on electronic resources (e-resources) to fulfill their information needs. Consortia have facilitated access to numerous electronic information resources in S&T institutions. The DST, Government of India supports 20 autonomous R&D institutions that have access to information resources through a consortium. This paper studies the electronic resource use pattern by DST institutes. Institutional downloads are given and the leading publishers relevant to the institutions are listed. Finally, for better utilization of e-resources, an information filtration model has been proposed.

Use of electronic information resources by arts undergraduates during the preparation of final year dissertations: a study at University of Peradeniya

Electronic Information Resources (EIR) perform an important role in the reference resources provided by the academic libraries. Readers are increasingly encouraged to use electronic resources for their research purposes. It is evident that most of the undergraduates consider the library as an important place during their course of study, especially during the preparation of final year dissertations. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to examine the usage of EIR by final year undergraduates during the time of preparation of their dissertation. The study used the survey research design with the application of purposive sampling method. The total population of the final year special degree in Arts students of the Faculty of Arts was 619 in 2014/2015 academic year. A total of 49 final year students of the special degree in Arts who visited the Main Library voluntarily participated in this survey within a period of one month from 01/03/2015 to 31/03/2015. Descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The study findings indicated that the students used Internet search engines rather than specialized data bases and full-text resources to search information. Nearly 88% of the respondents had never used the library web page to search EIR. Nearly 10% were familiar with electronic resources available in the library. The main problems associated with non-use of EIR are: lack of skills in information searching and very limited training opportunities and limited facilities in accessing the Internet. According to the findings the reasons for lower usage of electronic resources by undergraduates are the lack of basic skills / knowledge in IT and English language barrier. In order to exploit the full potential of electronic information, university library and the faculty should play active roles by organizing awareness programmes, promoting EIR use among students and develop infrastructure facilities in the Main Library to enhance usage of EIR. Introducing information literacy skills course for students’ curricula is recommended to get maximum benefits of EIR Use.

Usage of Electronic Resources by the Medical, Dental and Paramedical Science Professionals in Karnataka

Electronic resources are becoming an integral part of the modern life and of the educational prospect, especially the higher education prospect. Students of all age group, house wife’s, technician and professionals of all community like academicians, business, medical professionals, lawyers, technicians are highly dependent on e-resources. Govt. of India is also playing key role in support of e-resources, with its special scheme of subsidised rates for subscribing e-resources and internet usage. Accessibility and use of e-resources by the medical, dental and paramedical science professionals in the state of Karnataka is studied. It includes use of e-resources, use of various types of e-resources, Frequency of access to internet, Information searching pattern, Use of e-databases subscribed by the library, Purpose of use, Problem faced while accessing information resources through online search mode.

The State Agency on Electronic Governance of Ukraine in system of public authorities

In this article, it is being examined legal status of the State Agency on Electronic Governance of Ukraine in system of public authorities, learning questions of its improvement and place in the system of public authorities. Examining of functions and tasks of the State Agency on Electronic Governance of Ukraine as general state customer of the National program of informatization. Analyzing of activity of SE «State Information Resources Centre of Ukraine» and role of the National Centre of electronic governance in the process of functioning of the State Agency and implementation of electronic governance in Ukraine.The main task of the state at current stage of state building is to ensure rights and freedoms of man and citizen in all areas of government and public life, as a form of governance, whereby is an active interaction between state authorities and local governments together with society, man and citizen, business by means of information and communication technologies. The topicality of electronic governance is defined by the changes of approaches of management of state government and local government participation in the management of citizens their access to information on the activities of state authorities and local governments through the use of modern information and communication technologies. The important place in the defined questions are occupied by activities and functioning of the central executive body that implements the state policy in the field of information, electronic governance, formation and usage of national electronic information resources, development of information society – the State Agency on Electronic Governance of Ukraine. Due to the changes on the activities of the State Agency on Electronic Governance Ukraine and amended according to Government Resolution from the November 16, 2016 № 887, the Agency got more freedom and space for exercise of its powers. On the other hand, is increased the amount of responsibility. Due to the Chapter 2, article 10 of the Law of Ukraine "On the National Informatization Program" is set that general state customer of the National program of informatization is a central executive body, determined by the President of Ukraine that is contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine. The direct implementation of the tasks of the Agency, in particular to ensure the functioning of the electronic interaction between the executive authorities, unified information resource website of appeals to the state authorities and local authorities is engaged in State Enterprise "State Center for Information Resources of Ukraine" (SE "Derzhinformresurs"), which belongs to its jurisdiction. Furthermore, as a structural unit of the SE "Derzhinformresurs" was established the National Center of Electronic Governance, the main tasks of which are to collect, systematize and disseminate information on the development of Electronic Governance; organization of expert research on search of effective solutions in the field of electronic governance; organizing and conducting of scientific conferences, seminars, round tables and other events on Electronic Governance and so on. In our opinion, this will provide an opportunity to realize the idea of "electronic government", which is to solve three basic problems of power: to introduce electronic document that will reduce bureaucratic hurdles and accelerate the adoption of laws; to convert the electronic form of communication of citizens and business with the government and, in order, to make state and municipal government more transparent and bring it closer to the citizens.

Awareness and Usage of Open Access among University Lecturers in Nigeria

The study examined the level of awareness and usage of Open Access among lecturers in the Faculties of Arts and Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria. A questionnaire designed by the researchers was employed to collect data for the study. The study revealed that lecturers had high level of awareness of Open Access and used them for conducting and publishing their scholarly works; however their level of awareness of Open Access content were higher than their actual use of the contents. The study further revealed that some lecturers used some open access contents, such as, e-journals, e-dictionaries and e-encyclopedias daily, weekly, monthly and whenever the need arises while some others like e-handbooks, e-guides and e-technical reports were not used at all. It further revealed that Open Access journals were the most utilised of all the Open Access contents surveyed amongst ot her findings. Many recommendations were proffered amongst which were sensitisation of faculty about benefits, challenges and policies guiding Open Access use through information literacy training provided by academic librarians and that academic staff should made themselves available for information literacy training programmes so as to make wise and effective use of Open Access to enhance their academic status. Keywords: Awareness and Usage of Electronic Resources; Open Access Scholarly Communication, Nigerian Universities, Nigerian Lecturers’ Use of Electronic Resources; Scholarly Publishing.

Availability, Use and Constraints to Use of Electronic Information Resources by Postgraduates Students at the University of Ibadan

Availability, awareness and use of electronic resources provide access to authoritative, reliable, accurate and timely access to information. The use of electronic information resources (EIRs) can enable innovation in teaching and increase timeliness in research of postgraduate students which will eventual result into encouragement of the expected research-led enquiry in this digital age. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Samples of 300 of postgraduate students within seven out 13 Faculties were randomly selected. Data were collected using questionnaire designed to elicit response from respondents and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics methods percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Results indicated that internet was ranked most available and used in the university. Low level of usage of electronic resources, in particular, full texts data bases is linked to a number of constraints: Interrupted power supply was ranked highest among other factors as speed and capacity of computers, retrieval of records with high recall and low precision, retrieving records relevant to information need, lack of knowledge of search techniques to retrieve information effectively, non possession of requisite IT skills and problems accessing the internet. The study recommended that usage of electronic resources be made compulsory, intensifying awareness campaigns concerning the availability, training on use of electronic resources and the problem of power outage be addressed.

Usage of Electronic Information Resources in Research and Engineering Environment: A Case Study

This paper aims to evaluate the usage of electronic information resources by the faculty members of Karunya University, Coimbatore. The purpose of the study is to fulfill the academic needs of the faculty members and it covers the usage of electronic resources namely Internet, E-Journals, online resources, CD ROM and online resources. A well structured questionnaire was distributed among faculty members to collect the necessary data. It described the problems faced by faculty while using the electronic resources and find out the level of satisfaction about the electronic information sources and services.

STATUS ON USAGE OF ELECTRONIC-RESOURCES BY STUDENTS AT THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

This paper assesses the status on the usage of electronic resources by students at the College of Business Education (CBE). Specific objectives were to find out the factors that promote students to use internet services, to find out the extent to which CBE students are accessing electronic resources, to identify challenges that CBE students are facing in the process of accessing electronic resources. The study was carried out at CBE main campus library in Dar Es Salaam. Simple random sampling was used to select 100 respondents. The study employed case study design and used a multmethods. Data were collected by using questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. The findings reveal the lack of awareness of the educational eâ€resources offered at the institution, students not using the academic and learning resources. Students were facing several challenges such as, the lack of connected computers, lack of searching skills, tendency of frequent closing computer labs. Finally, the study recommends improving the computer labs’ environments, guaranteeing a stable wireless connectivity, frequent computer repairs and other related ICT equipment and finally the College has to ensure the reliable  standby generators.

Relationship between electronic journal downloads and citations in library consortia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between electronic journal downloads and citations and whether online electronic resource usage can be adopted as an alternative to citation for evaluation of scholarly discourse. Design/methodology/approach A consolidated 16 publishers’ COUNTER usage data of UGC-Infonet members was collected from INFLIBNET Centre. The usage was meticulously filtered from UGC-subscribed journals and institutional subscriptions. The quantitative data were analysed to establish the relationship between download, impact factor (IF) and price. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the influence of price and IF on usage and to predict the usage when they are known and the threshold for significance was set at p < 0.05. Findings There exists a relationship between IF and downloads of journals in UGC-Infonet. Journal IF and price significantly influence usage, where journal IF plays an important role in the intensity of the use. Also, the top 25 hottest downloaded papers were journals with IF; hence, no journal without IF featured in the top 25 most downloaded journals in the consortia. The relationship between the top 25 IF journals in the consortia and download is strong (r = 0.368537). Originality/value The only account that reports on the relationship between journal IFs and downloads for UGC-Infonet consortia. Also, the influence of usage behaviour with respect to citation and price of a journal.