Library E-resources Research Articles

Postgraduate Students’ Use of E-Resources in Nigerian University Libraries: What is the Influence of User Education?

Introduction. Inadequate methods for acquiring user education could affect the level of library user education possessed by postgraduate students, and ultimately influence the purposes of their usage of e-resources provided in their university libraries. Despite the global acceptance that e-resources are contributing to postgraduate student’s research work, however, it has been documented that there is low use of e-resources in university libraries in Nigeria among postgraduate students. This drift could have negative consequences on their overall development. Therefore, this study determined how influential library user education is on the use of e-resources by postgraduate students in Nigerian university libraries.Methods. A survey research design and multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select 2,726 from 54,578 postgraduate students from four faculties in 16 federal conventional universities in Nigeria. The data set was collected using a questionnaire and an interview schedule for e-resources librarians/system librarians and was analysed using percentage and Pearson’s product moment correlation.Results. The majority of the students were at the Master’s level (57.5%). The gender shows a ratio of 59.0% male and 41.0% female. Most Nigerian students enrol for postgraduate programmes in their thirties ‘30-39’ years. The use of e-resources by the postgraduates was low (weighted average of 2.45). The relationship between level of library user education and postgraduate students’ use of e-resources was positive, slightly strong, and significant (r

Perception and Utilization of Electronic Resources by Undergraduate Students: The Case of the Federal University of Technology Library, Akure

The research was carried out to assess the perception of the undergraduate students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure on the use of e-resources in the library. A total of 180 undergraduate students were randomly selected from the students who visited the e-resources section of the University within a period of eight months in 2015 (January – August). A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents; the data was analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, Likert type scale and means. The study revealed that the undergraduate students that visited the e-resources unit of the University were relatively young with a mean age of 22 years; male students visited the e-resources more than the female students. The e-resources in FUTA library are mainly used by male students that cut across most of the schools in the University. The major reasons for utilizing the e-resources were for assignment and research purposes. The E-resource frequently used was the e-journals, e-book and e-magazines. Although the students have positive perception of the e-resources, the most significant challenge faced by the students was insufficient computers in the e-library. Based on the findings, the study recommends that female students should be motivated to use the e-resources like their male counterparts. More computers should be provided in the library to cater for the needs of the students.

Use Pattern of Electronic Resources by the Research Scholars: A Case Study of CCS Haryana Agriculture University, Hissar, India

This paper aims to examine the use pattern of electronic resources among the research scholars of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, as provided by the Nehru Central Library of the University by using the survey method. The study found that all the research scholars are using library e-resources specifically for research work and e-journals (83%) are most used resources. However, majority of them use e-resources and printed material equally and need training regarding information retrieval and discipline specific search. CeRA (Consortium for e-Resources in Agriculture) and KrishiPrabha e-Theses, DOAJ, Agricola, sources on educational and bibliographical information and encyclopaedias are most used e-resources by the research scholars. Slow access speed in reaching the needed e-resource and difficulty in downloading are the major problems in accessing the e-resources. This study offers the suggestions for further improvement of access of electronic resources to fulfil the research needs of scholars.

PIH16 - Cost-Efficiency of of National Drug Information Center Through Ministry of Healh Hotline Calling Services (937) in Saudi Arabia: Application of a Mercian Model

National Drug Information Center (NDIC) has started providing services since January 2013; and answering public and professional inquires through MOH-Hotline Calling Services (937) since December 2013. The objective of this study was to estimate cost-efficiency of NDIC in Saudi Arabia using American model of drug information inquires cost avoidance. Simulation including all 12-month 2014 of receiving adults and pediatrics drug information inquiries through MOH-Hotline Calling Services (937). Ten on-call clinical Pharmacists and expert trained pharmacists were receiving calls from public and professional asking about drug information, through manual documentation system of drug information inquiries by data collecting form. Using international Study Model (Kinky et al, Ann Pharmacother 1999), the cost considered were the expected results of drug related problems sequel of drug information inquires if not existing drug information services and were not answered; starting from Physician visit, additional treatment, hospital admission to death stage. The total number answered calls were 976 calls, with 264 (27%) answered calls were documented; the average costs avoidance per each answered call was (415.78 USD), and total cost was (109,768 USD) with partial documentation, the estimated total cost with complete documentation was (405,801 USD) per year. The cost avoidance of answering public inquiries was (80,806.5 USD) and Professional inquires was (28,961.5 USD). The highest cost avoidance based on type of inquires was dose standardization (34,195 USD), drug administration (21,324 USD) followed by drugs in pregnancy (15,826 USD) and Adverse a Drug reaction (12,793 USD). The highest cost avoidance was Antibacterial expected related problem (33,454.5 USD) In this National Drug Information Center cost-efficiency simulation for Saudi Arabia, hotline line calling services - Drug Information associated with cost savings per each receiving call. expanding the answering drug information services with electronic documentation, and available e-library resources considering the associated preventing drug related problems and Healthcare Improvement and better care, better patient outcomes, and reduced costs.

Practical approaches to compliance for entrepreneurial uses of licensed databases in libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide practical guidance to business librarians in academic and public libraries for applying essential concepts of licensing electronic resources in entrepreneurial contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an outcome of a preconference presentation on licensing business resources, based on the practical experience of the authors in licensing and vendor negotiations. It also presents results of the preconference presurvey, gauging awareness among business librarians about licensing concepts and concerns about the usage of licensed databases by entrepreneurs. Findings – For-profit goals of entrepreneurs using library e-resources lead to concerns among business librarians about compliance with non-commercial clauses of library license agreements and potentially to unnecessary restrictions on patrons’ database use. License agreements of business e-resources are likely to have more restrictive terms of use because of perceived value of their intellectual property by vendors, a wider range of content types and clauses carried over from commercial license agreements. Business librarians generally have only basic awareness of licensing concepts. Because of organizational silos, special terms of use sometimes are not clearly conveyed from the licensing staff to librarians who work directly with entrepreneurs. Practical implications – The paper proposes a definition of entrepreneurial uses of licensed e-resources and practical approaches to manage compliance risk. Originality/value – The paper provides a practical framework for business librarians to assess compliance with license agreements in the context of entrepreneurial uses.

A roadshow of library resources: familiarize students with what you have

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how the popular culture of flash mob inspired the creation of the library roadshows and elaborate on the conducting of flash outreach events to market music databases to students with limited resources. Design/methodology/approach – By not requesting faculty for in-class teaching time, the promotion of library e-resources took place beyond the library building, in places where students live and hangout, and during the short window when students mingle before classes. Simple set-up with laptops and a movable large screen TV was used for brief database demonstration. Findings – The provision of quick demos and on-the-go consultations of e-resources through the library roadshows proved to encourage usage and obtain a higher return on investment without requiring much extra manpower and funding. Students also welcomed this new way of learning without having to go to a class. Social implications – Seeing students and offering services where students live and hangout help make the library more visible and blend librarians in students’ campus life. Originality/value – While information literacy workshops oftentimes happen inside the library or during a class hour, the library roadshows go beyond physical boundaries and take information literacy instruction to where the targeted audience is. Not only are these flash outreach events quick and easy to conduct, but this casual learning also fits the learning behavior of the millennial generation who wants everything succinct and straight to the point.

Library e-resource services and its impacts on research scholars of university of Allahabad

A statistical method has been used to examine the effective use of e resources and library services in Allahabad University. Well structured 135 questions distributed to 75 Research Scholars for the study of different attributes. The chi square studies on various aspects clearly show significant differences and association with the library services and use of e resources.

English

The main purpose of the study is to find out awareness and use of 3G services among the research scholars of the University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad. The study demonstrates that research scholars do use 3G services for purposes other than communication and entertainment. Majority of respondents fall under the age group of 26– 30 years and use mobile phones for both communication and leisure. Airtel is the popular 3G service provider and its users specifically engage in browsing academic/research networking sites. Availability of music and audio are the main features for purchasing new mobile phones. Broadband and ticket booking are the frequently used services and creating video games on the Internet cloud are the occasionally used 3G service. Majority of the respondents stated that 3G provides functional value by enabling them to accomplish tasks easily, more quickly, effectively, and conveniently. Interestingly, mobile phones are not used for promotion of one's own research and exchange of ideas, which is the principal issue addressed by this study. None of the respondents reported an increase in accessing subscribed library e-journals and databases. Poor network coverage is perhaps the biggest barrier that interrupts the enjoyment of using 3G services. The findings of the study will not only guide research scholars in effective use of 3G services, but also help them in awareness of new mobile phone specifications including 3G service features. In addition, it will help the university authorities and vendors in facilitating effective access of licensed library e-resources and providing a valuable reference for service providers to develop 3G mobile value-added services.

English

A case study of off campus (remote) access to licensed/subscribed electronic resources (e-resources) of the Health Sciences Library of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal, which offers diverse sets of electronic information resources for its users, is presented here. User community, residing outside the campus and off campus were disadvantaged by the inability to access library e-resources in their hours of need. Due to the pressing demand from the user community for off/remote campus access to the subscribed e-resources, library initiated the search for an appropriate off campus login access solution and identified EZproxy remote access software as the solution. EZproxy platform provides a single point remote access to various subscribed resources of the library. This article gives various steps involved in the implementation of off campus access facility in the library with its benefits, conditionality for access and technical details.

Usage of E-resources: Virtual Value of Demographics

The focus of this study was to identify: 1) usage of library e-resources by faculty and staff affiliation and status to identify research and teaching needs; 2) usage of library e-resources by student major, status, gender, registered disability and registered veteran to establish best outreach practices and areas that need service improvement and collection development in support of student learning; and 3) the correlation between use of library e-resources and student attainment as defined by grade point average (GPA). Demographic data was collected for these users based on their university NetID logins. The findings in this study conclusively document that students and faculty use library e-resources to a statistically significant extent and that a statistical relationship exists between student GPA and their use of e-resources. This information confirms the value of library resources to institutional teaching and research needs and can be used to document library value to the institutional mission.

English

The degree of availability and utilization of e-resources in any university library may influence the information services provision to students. The main objective of the study was to investigate the availability and utilization of e-resources by undergraduate in selected private university libraries in Ogun State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted and the study population consisted of 9700 undergraduates from Babcock and Redeemer’s universities. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 291 and the questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS specifically descriptive statistics consisting of tables of frequency and percentage. The findings revealed that the Internet was readily available in Babcock (83.5%) and Redeemer (92.8%), while other e-resources were not readily available. Most of the respondents in Babcock (64.0%) and Redeemer (89.1%) used the e-resources for assignment and research/project. Poor Internet connectivity, lack of relevant e-resources in various disciplines, erratic power supply, and lack of technical know-how were the major challenges faced by the respondents. The Internet and e-journals are important sources of information for both universities undergraduate students. Also, the availability and use of e-resources has no doubt contributed meaningfully to the information acquisition for class work, assignment and research needs of the students.   Key words: Availability, utilization, library, electronic resources, undergraduate students, private universities.

Use of online resources at Jawaharlal Nehru University: a quantitative study

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to describe the use of e-resources at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), those are being offered through the University Grant Commission – Information and Library Network (UGC-INFONET) consortium. Statistical techniques are applied on usage reports generated by e-resources vendors/publishers to understand trend and seasonality in usages of e-resources in academic libraries. The researchers evaluated gain in popularity of e-resources and drew a comparison in use of various databases of e-resources in terms of volume of downloads over a period of three years. The study would help in designing an instrument to evaluate utilization of e-resources. The cross comparison of databases helps in identifying e-resources, which have been optimally used. Design/methodology/approach – The present study used quantitative approach to express utilization of e-resources in terms of number of downloads of full text research papers from Project Muse, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Springer Links, Taylor and Francis and JSTOR databases, accessible through the UGC-INFONET consortium. The investigation is based on secondary data of usage statistics made available by the UGC-INFONET consortium. The descriptive statistics techniques have been used in the initial phase of the investigation to understand trend in utilization of e-resources and examine robustness of various statistical tests to identify most appropriate tests for the latter phase of the investigation. The robustness analysis has been recommended for graphical and non-parametric tests for advanced investigation, in the latter phase of the study. The with-in cohort analysis techniques investigates numbers of monthly downloads from each database for a period of three years, i.e. 2008-2010 to explain seasonality in volume of downloads of e-resources. Findings – e-Resources have been gaining popularity gradually in academic libraries; this trend is in tune with gaining of popularity of web-based intellectual resources in other sectors. The study established need of library consortium for sharing resources and subscription fee. The investigation proves significant association between numbers of downloads of e-resources from different databases in the same period; thus gain in popularity of one database encourages readers to explore other databases. The study indicates seasonality effect in the usages of e-resources in academic libraries. This seasonality effect is contemporary to the academic calendar. There are large numbers of downloads just before the examinations, which are held twice in a year and negligible number of downloads during and around long summer study breaks. Thus, the bandwidth rendered to the university is not consistently used during the academic session. The coverage of databases in terms of disciplines and numbers of journals varies to great extent. There is overlapping in the coverage of databases. The strength of students and their demands for scholarly works also vary across disciplines, thus cross comparison of numbers of downloads from databases has little meaning until impact of these three parameters are not controlled in the investigation of utilization of e-resources. Originality/value – The literature shows that no study has been carried out for the use of e-resources by researchers of JNU.

Beyond the Boundaries: Remote Access to Online Resources at the University of Moratuwa Library

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

Information Needs and Utilization of the Kaduna State University Library Resources by the Academic Staff

The study was conducted to assess the information needs and utilization of the Kaduna State University library resources by academic staff. The paper featured the introduction, literature review, methodology, sampling procedure, data analysis, conclusion and recommendations. Questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection for this research work.. A total of 148 questionaire were randomly administered to the respondents and 128 were filled and returned and found useful. The population was drawn from the four (4) faculties in the university, (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences and Faculty of Medicine). The data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis using simple percentages. The study revealed that the major determinant of information needs of academic staff of the University is the need to support life-long learning and research purpose to meet up the academic programmes in the university. It was also revealed that textbooks/monographs are the major resources and sources staff consult for their information needs. The problems identified among others were: insufficient time to use the library, limited space and inadequate knowledge to use the internet and the e-resources by the staff. In conclusion, the study recommended as follows: the expansion of the library building, review of the opening and closing hours, broadening the internet services of the library and also empowering the library to organize seminars/workshops to sensitise staff on how to use the e-resources in the university library.

How to Build Successful iPad Programs in Health Science Libraries: A Tale of Two Libraries

The Harriet F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library at University of Central Florida's College of Medicine (UCF COM) and the Health Professions Division (HPD) Library at Nova Southeastern University developed iPad programs to expand library services, promote more frequent use of library e-resources, and redefine the roles of academic health sciences libraries, academic medical librarians, and faculty-library relationships. Although both libraries’ iPad initiatives had similar beginnings, their paths diverged. Each library's program led to larger initiatives at both institutions. iPads are now incorporated in classrooms and clinical settings with the libraries as the center of deployment, instruction, and support.

Preliminary Performance Assessment of TV White Spaces Technology for Broadband Communication in Malawi

Recently, the use of TV White Spaces for broadband communication has raised interest. White Spaces refer to regions of radio spectrum that are not used all the time in a specific geographical location. This paper presents the preliminary performance assessment of a TV White Spaces deployment in Malawi. The method used involved coverage simulations at the TV White Spaces frequencies, deployment of the network, monitoring and performance analysis. The preliminary results report usable coverage distance up to 7.5km which has allowed that remote students access the content of the university library and interact with the university faculty. The results thus show that the TV White Spaces technology can be used for broadband connectivity in rural and undeserved areas even when the WiFi and broadcasting spectrum is already utilized. A typical application that supports remote access of e-library resources from a rural Secondary School was developed using DSpace architecture over the White Spaces infrastructure is discussed.

Enhancing access to library resources at Northern Caribbean University through an e-library initiative

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact of the e-library on the usage of library resources at Northern Caribbean University. The objective was also to determine whether or not it is worthwhile to continue to invest in electronic resources in a period of declining library budgets and easy access to electronic resources via the internet. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from library statistical reports as well as from a survey administered to students and faculty on both the main and extension campuses over a four-week period. The population studied in the survey was 280 faculty members and 5,340 students. Of this number, a stratified random sample of 50 faculty members and 200 students was selected. Findings – The study shows that the provision of e-library resources has increased overall usage of library materials as patrons continue to use print resources in tandem with electronic versions. The study also found that the electronic library resources are helpful to patrons and play an important role in enhancing access to library resources necessary for quality research papers and academic excellence on a whole. Originality/value – It is hoped that the findings of this paper will serve to assist the librarians and faculty at Northern Caribbean University and other similar institutions in selecting and acquiring the most appropriate format of information resources that will both satisfy the needs of their library users and fit within their library budget. Recommendations for improving the e-library service include continuous collaboration between librarians and faculty in selecting and acquiring the most appropriate format of resources to support the curriculum and satisfy the users' needs, constant marketing of the resources and on-going training in their use, and periodic assessment of the collection to ensure quality and competitiveness in light of other readily available electronic resources on the internet.

EResources in Academic Libraries: A Look Ahead

Tim Collins, President and Founder, EBSCO Publishing, presented “eResources in Academic Libraries: A Look Ahead” at the eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit held at Mississippi State University Libraries on August 3, 2012. Collins presented EBSCO's strategy for creating the single search box and the philosophy behind their Discovery Service. He provided information on the different types of content providers and the search capabilities of their Discovery Service. Collins also presented information regarding eBooks on EBSCOhost and what they have done since acquiring NetLibrary.

All About Demand-Driven Acquisition

This article reports on a talk delivered at the Mississippi State University Libraries eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit. The author introduces the concept of Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) for e-books and explains how it works. The author discusses predicting and controlling costs, as well as other implementation decisions. Finally, the author discusses the possibility of removing books from a DDA program and speculates on some of the effects of DDA on libraries and scholarly publishing.

Having E-Journal Title and ISSN Problems? Have Some PIE-J!

PIE-J [Presentation and Identification of E-Journals] is a set of developing National Information Standards Organization–recommended practices that tries to resolve some of the “pain points” associated with electronic journals. Regina Reynolds, at the Mississippi State University Libraries eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit in August 2012, presented these pain points and the attempts of PIE-J to overcome the obstacles.