Use Of E-resources Research Articles

E-Resources Usage Fosters Self-Learning among the Engineering Student Community

This paper presents a brief analysis of the engineering college students' e-resource usage needs vis-a-vis habits. The research analysis led to many outcomes and one of them is about the e-resource usage being a dominant factor in the particular engineering student community's self-learning process. Self-learning is attributed to be the major contribution to the academic and professional growth of a person at any point of time. The use of e-resources in and out on day to day basis is forcing the student to become self reliant and helps him to learn how to self-learn many a thing. This self-learning aspect in a student is very encouraging as waiting for an expert to actually teach them everything is time-consuming and next to impossible in this era of many student - single teacher ratio. The information spewing every second from various corners of the globe makes it necessary for each and every student to master the art of self-learning to stay abreast with the happenings in his area of study or interest. This forceful need for information search using e-resources is gradually becoming a necessity and ultimately a habit.

An Explorative Study on Access to Print and Electronic Information Resources among Journalists in Mysore and Mandya District of Karnataka

This explorative study focuses on access to print and electronic information resources among journalists in Mysore and Mandya district of Karnataka, India. The researchers tried to analyze frequency of library visits, average time spent, use of print and electronic information resources, criteria for evaluation of information resources, usage of social networks for accessing and sharing information, rating of online resources based on its features, preferred format of information resources, factors influencing for use of e-resources and to know the importance of e-resources for journalistic tasks. For this purpose the researchers prepared a well structured questionnaire as a tool for data collection and the collected questionnaire has been analyzed and presented with useful percentage analysis, Anova, Mean, Standard Deviation and suitable tables for presentation of data. It has been found form the study that the journalists prefer both print and electronic format of information resources. Hence, the libraries should maintain both formats of information resources till the users inculcate the habit of using information resources available in electronic format.

Optimizing the Use of Library Resources Through Collaborative Partnership: A Case Study of AIIMS Patna

Information and Communication Technology has not just helped to change the publishing industry from print to electronic format, but has also posed some smaller challenges to the users in adapting to the newer formats of publishing. To overcome these smaller challenges, to enhance the use of e-resources and to promote e-resources among the user community, responsibility has somewhere shifted to library professionals, which they are entirely shouldering, especially in academic and research libraries. Library professionals are working in close coordination with the different stakeholders like authors, publishers, promoters, marketers, aggregators, e-content developers, and other agencies to facilitate the widespread use and promotion of e-resources among end-users. Library professionals are working as partners in perpetuating the change witnessed in the information world by working in tandem with the information creators and disseminators, ensuring effective handling and exploitation of digital content subscribed in their institutional libraries. The study is supplemented by a case study of AIIMS Patna, reflecting how organizing training and workshops have a considerable impact on the usage of e-resources subscribed by an institutional library.

COVARIANCE BASED-SEM ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL LITERACY, USE OF E-RESOURCES, AND READING CULTURE OF STUDENTS

In this paper, a relationship model among latent variables using Covariance Based-Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) is studied. The latent variables are digital literacy, use of e-resources and reading culture of students. The goal of the study is to build a simultaneously model between those three variables, determine the influence of digital literacy on the use of e-resources and reading culture of students, and the influence of the use of e-resources on reading culture of students. The parameters of the model are estimated by the Maximum Likelihood method. This study took data from 256 questionnaires of students at STMIK Sumedang. Results showed that digital literacy significantly influences the use of e-resources and the reading culture of students. In contrast, there are no significant influences on the use of e-resources on the reading culture of the student.

Use of electronic resources by law academics: a case study from the University of Namibia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the use of e-resources by the Faculty of Law’s academic staff at the University of Namibia’s (UNAM’s) main campus. The study aimed to determine their level of awareness of electronic resources (e-resources) available to them, how useful and effective they found these e-resources, and the challenges they face in accessing them.Design/methodology/approachA convenient sampling technique was used to select a sample of 12 law academics from the population of 17. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods using questionnaires and a semi-structured interview guide.FindingsFindings revealed that the majority of the law academics were aware of the e-resources subscribed by UNAM’s library, although some were not aware of the newly subscribed international law databases. The findings further revealed that the academics used e-resources for research, publications and teaching purposes, but irregular training, bandwidth problems and limited searching skills hindered their use of e-resources.Practical implicationsFindings could be used to inform future collection-development decisions, realignment of information-literacy training and promotion and marketing of library services.Originality/valueThis study has made a significant contribution in the understanding the use of electronic legal resources by law academics at UNAM. The findings and recommendations could also benefit similar academic institutions in developing countries like Namibia.

Use of e-Resources by arts faculties of deen dayal upadhyaya gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur: An evaluation

The present study examined the use of e-resources by the teachers of arts faculty in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur. The study based on the responses obtained from the faculty members. The aspects in respect of the use of e-resources constitute the level of awareness, frequency of access, purpose, motivation, and constraints among faculty members. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 102 faculty members. Findings revealed that all the respondents aware of the use of e-resources and they are using electronic resources for academic purposes. Having access to a wide range of e-books, e-journals and databases, increased access to current information and to prepare for study and carryout research are the major motivation when using e- resources by faculty members. Need for some literacy while accessing e-resources and difficulty in finding relevant information were key constraints of e-resources use in the study.

Usage pattern of electronic resources by faculty in some universities of north India

Electronic information along with means and mode of its access play an important role in dissemination of information. The information usage pattern of the users, especially teachers, as a result of wide spread of the Internet technology has changed drastically. This study investigates the use of library resources particularly electronic resources, their usage impact on other print resources among teachers of some university libraries of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana. The study adopted a quantitative approach using questionnaire to gather data and other information. SPSS computer software was used to analyze the data and inferences drawn on the bases of percentage of responses. The study found that university faculty is making extensive use of e-resources and majority of them use electronic resources daily. Among the different type of e-resources, e-journals are the most preferred type resource widely used by faculty and subsequently frequency of using print based resources decreased among users. The study has recommended that university libraries should subscribe more information resources in e-format and take due care to publicise its holding among users for effective usage of library resources.

Use of e-resources by the faculty of Blde Medical College Library Vijayapur, Karnataka: A study

Use of e-resources by the faculty of Blde Medical College Library Vijayapur, Karnataka: A study

Use of e-resources by unmotivated students: a success story from a library in Russia

Purpose This paper aims to examine how new educational approaches to the presentation of electronic information resources can influence interest in their use among first-year undergraduates. Despite the variety of technological facilities available in universities, the learning process sometimes fails to keep pace with their advantages. Universities are investing in high-technology classrooms and an extensive multidisciplinary subscription to e-resources in the belief that students will make use of these opportunities. However, students often ignore the availability of relevant and verified content and prefer to retrieve information from Google’s search results. The absence of students’ initial motivation to work with a complex product is perhaps the greatest challenge faced by the teacher-librarian. Limited time available for training (a lecture and a seminar) and lack of preparedness among information specialists aggravates the situation. Design/methodology/approach The efficacy of new educational approaches to the presentation of e-resources was examined in a pilot study involving 940 first-year undergraduates at the North-West Institute of Management of the Presidential Academy (RANEPA). The authors replaced academic lectures with flexible and interesting techniques based on student’s interests, used attention triggers for each e-resource in lecture materials and focused the seminar on multiple specific searches to attract and keep students engaged. New educational approaches were implemented in four-hour sessions for first-year students in all disciplines. Findings The results suggest that the new educational approaches and teaching techniques can raise the level of students’ involvement and interest in the use of subscribed e-resources. To assess the developed approach, the authors analyzed the dynamics of the students’ visits to subscribed resources and observed a significant increase in the number of visits. The authors found such a trend for all the types of requests and resources. Overall, the number of visits and full-text requests increased from 88 to 284 per cent for the 2017-2018 academic year compared to the 2016-2017 one. Practical implications The findings of the study demonstrate the necessity of applying new educational approaches to teaching students who lack the motivation to use high-quality electronic resources. The teacher-librarian can be an important link between scientific information and consumers. The newly developed techniques have great potential for a wide range of educational applications including the development of teaching materials and training programs. Social implications The approach combines teaching methodology with rich informational environment, enhancing students’ motivation to information literacy through mastering their digital skills. Students’ interest in subscribed resources initiates their professional work with scientific information. Students need to constantly use subscribed resources. Otherwise, the skills of using information e-resources will disappear and motivation for their use will decrease. The development of techniques that can help to maintain students’ interest in information e-resources is continuing, and new findings will be presented in future papers. Originality/value In the scientific literature, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no information is available on the use of similar techniques at Russian universities. It is hoped that developed techniques helps students with low digital literacy from other universities or colleges overcome their bias against high technology.

A comparative study of the use of electronic resources by LIS and computer science students in two Nigerian universities

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to compare the use of electronic resources (e-resources) by undergraduate students in library and information science (LIS) and computer science in two Nigerian universities.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a comparative method. The questionnaire was designed to elicit data from 680 undergraduate students in two universities. Simple percentages and chi square (χ2) statistical tool were used to analyse and test the hypotheses. The results are presented in tables and charts.FindingsThe findings show that the undergraduate students use some of the e-resources and do not use others probably because of lack of awareness or skills to effectively use the e-resources. Overall, almost half of the undergraduate students rated their skills to use e-resources to be high. It also emerged that there is significant difference between LIS students and computer science students use of e-resources.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study on e-resources and their use by different subject areas in the university will establish an important foundation for selecting and providing e-resources and services. Such a foundation allows for the development of both useful theory and practical application.Originality/valueThe study reported findings on e-resources used particularly by different user groups in universities in Nigeria. The study will add to the body of knowledge on use of e-resources in Nigeria.

PRIMARY TEACHERS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION IN BULGARIA

Digitization in education is an evolving process which affects different aspects of education worldwide and Bulgaria is also following this tendency. One of the tools for digitalization of education is the use of electronic resources (e-resources). Different e-resources have been adopted increasingly in primary school classrooms making them an integral part of education. European policies are also supporting e-resources usage – a European Parliament resolution on New Technologies and Open Educational Resources42 encourages the study and dissemination of good practices in order to support the efficient use of electronic resources in education, as well as conducting research to evaluate teachers' competences for the use of educational e-resources. However, there are limited researches in the literature about the use of e-resources in primary education and their findings are far from consistent (Chu et al., 2010). In the currently existing literature, the main emphasis is on the advantages and the potential of e-resources for improving the educational process. For example, some researchers found that the integration of electronic resources in the educational process have the potential to support the active learning of primary students (Vitanov et al., 2015). According to White & Manton (2011) e-resources have better quality and are more flexible than traditional resources and they provide better opportunities for learning, including a compliance with different learning styles. Some disadvantages of e-resources are also mentioned in the literature such as the potential risk for students to lack concentration during the classes knowing that they can access the e-resources later or the risk of getting inaccurate information from internet based e-resources (Purcell et al., 2012); (UNESCO, 2011).Yet there is not sufficient data about teachers’ attitudes towards the use of educational e-resources which data could be a valuable source for planning and implementing the integration of e-resources in primary education. Moreover, in order to provide quality education, higher education institutions which train the future primary teachers should be aware of primary teachers’ opinions and needs and, on this basis, to search for effective strategies to improve their university courses or professional development programmes. The answer to the question: “What are the attitudes of primary teachers to the use of e-resources in primary education?” has a significant role in developing and implementing pedagogically effective curricula. Thus in this study the attitudes of 452 teachers towards the use of e-resources in primary education is examined. It discusses the teachers’ attitudes in terms of the advantages and disadvantages they found in using e-resources in their everyday routine as well as the requirements that e-resources should fulfil in order to be used effectively.Data includes an online questionnaire which was conducted during the beginning of academic year 2018-2019 and completed by 452 primary teachers from schools in different regions of Bulgaria. The results revealed that the surveyed teachers recognize well the advantages of e-resources which they mostly see as instruments for better visualising learning content as well as motivational instruments. They found disadvantages mainly related to the material and/or financial aspects of their usage. The requirements that e-resources have to fulfil in order to be effectively used in primary education according to the respondents are also discussed in the paper.

Use of electronic resources by students in a premier postgraduate theological university in Ghana

Background: Most electronic resource (e-resource) studies have been undertaken in universities because e-resources are crucial in enhancing students’ research and learning activities. However, there is a paucity of e-resources research in postgraduate theological universities, particularly in Ghana. This study, therefore, investigated students’ level of use of e-resources at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture. Objectives: The study’s specific objectives were to identify the types of e-resources available for use, discover the extent of awareness of e-resources, find out how e-resources were accessed and used, ascertain the purposes of using e-resources and identify the benefits of and problems in using e-resources. Method: Using the survey research design, copies of the questionnaire were administered to 33 postgraduate students by accidental sampling. Data analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 were mainly presented as frequency and percentage distributions. Results: The study revealed high awareness levels, adequate computer competencies, derivation of multiple benefits, use of e-resources for academic purposes and inadequate search skills of most respondents because of the dearth of training. Constraints to e-resources usage were access problems, search and retrieval problems and staff-related problems. Conclusion: The study informs university administrators and libraries about the need to ensure students leverage e-resources in research and studies. The study proposed, among other recommendations, the provision of regular and mandatory information literacy training for students, the need for the institute’s library staff to provide personalised search support to students and the provision of off-campus access to the institute’s e-resource subscriptions.

Usage of E-Resources by the Faculty Members and PG Students of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital and Research Centre (KIMS), Bangalore, Karnataka: A Study

Web-based use of E-resources is playing a vital role for information seeking. In this direction the present study was conducted on the use of E-resources (e-books, e-journals, e-databases subscribed by Health Science Library and Information Network, HELINET Consortium and ERMED Consortium) by the faculty members and PG students of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences and Information Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka State. A structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to faculty members and PG students (150) to know their effective use of e-resource for their study, teaching and research. A total of 135 filled in questionnaires were received and the response rate was 82.66%. The study results found that most of the teaching faculty and PG students preferred to search Google and Yahoo as search engine for their information search requirements. At the same time they consulted Pub Med and Science Direct and Ovid publisher’s journal databases to access E- resources.

Use of Electronic Resources by the Faculty Members of Government Medical College Libraries in Karnataka

Medical college libraries are aiming to provide efficient information services using both electronic and printed scholarly information resources to the medical professionals This paper study on the use of E-resources (e-books, e-journals, e-databases) subscribed by Health Science Library and Information Network, HELINET Consortium. The study sample is the faculty members of Government Medical Colleges. The study found that use of E Resources and use of Database by faculty members is not up to expectation of the provider and the investment.

Use of Electronic Information Resources among the Faculty Members of K. Ramakrishnan College of Engineering, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu: A Study

E-Resources or “electronic resources” can be defined as the resources available on the internet which are a godown of data and information on different subjects and topics. The e-Resources are available in universities/colleges. The study aimed at finding the use of e-Resources among the faculties of K. Ramakrishnan College of Engineering at Trichy with distribution to their gender. Majority of the respondents use e-Resources for teaching purpose and for research work. But they do not get any training from College library; they learn to use e- Resources either by self instructions or with guidance from colleagues and friends. The e-Resources can be accessed by the respondents at different places such as College and at home. The study therefore, recommends that efforts to improve the use of e- resources in the Library should include ways of creating user awareness, training/workshops for users and staff, and responding to the challenges confronting utilization.

Impact of Using Electronic Information Resources among the Faculty Members of Engineering Colleges in Erode District, Tamil Nadu

This article presents the study about the impact and utilization of electronic information resources among the faculty members of Engineering Colleges in Erode District, Tamil Nadu. Survey method questionnaire tool were used together the data for this study. Out of 670 questionnaires were distributed, 452(67.5%) faculty members are responded. E-resources support teaching, learning and research activities of the present user community especially the faculty members. Generally the availability of e-resources is good for Engineering Colleges. Majority of the respondents use the e-resources for educational and research purpose. In this study we found from the analysis that most of the users are not get more training programs and enough facility for the use of e-resources.

Use of E-resources by Undergraduate Students of Meenakshi Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Use of E-resources by Undergraduate Students of Meenakshi Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Awareness and Use of E-Resources Among Public Extension Personnel in Anambra State, Nigeria

The study assessed the awareness and use of e-resources among public extension personnel in the area. Stratified sampling technique was used in selecting respondents from each cadre of the Anambra State Agricultural Development Programme (ASADEP). A total of sixty-nine (69) agricultural extension staff was used for the study. Findings show the major e-resource tool that was available to the majority (94.2%) of extension staff in the area was mobile phone, while 62.3% indicated that computer was available to them. The majority (69.6%) of the respondents were each aware of Facebook, and email, while 56.5% were aware of twitter. Among those who were aware of email, the majority (59.4%) indicated they used it while 43.5% of those that were aware of Facebook indicated they used it. Results show that 15.9% of the respondents indicated they used e-journal in exchanging information on pests and diseases, 10.1% exchanged weather and climate information on e-mail, while 11.6% each indicated they used email to exchange information on farm inputs and market prices. On the other hand, 10.1% each used e-journal and e-mail to exchange information on processing methods. The study concluded by drawing attention to the very low adoption of e-resources in extension service delivery in the area. Efforts should be made by both federal and state governments to provide enabling technological environment and training opportunities for extension personnel in order to improve e-extension which is a veritable alternative towards solving the issues of dearth in extension staff that has been a persistent problem plaguing extension service in the country.Keywords: Agricultural extension, e-resources utilisation, Information and Communication Technology, Anambra State

Library Trends and Technologies in Higher Education Institutes in Thailand: A Study

The shift from traditional libraries to digital libraries has transformed how users access and interact with information. Higher education institutions across the world have realized the importance of information literacy. Mahasarakham University considered to be the educational hub of North Eastern Thailand, was studied for this research. This paper reflects upon the users’ opinion and level of satisfaction about various sections and services provided by the Academic Resource Centre, Mahasarakham University, Thailand. Discusses the information access pattern, preferred format of documents and users’ opinion regarding open access. Traces the advancements and innovations in technology that have had a tremendous impact on the way libraries function and have fuelled Thailand's shift from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy. The significant findings of the study in the context of library trends and technologies are 34.2% of users used electronic resources every day. E-Books were the most preferred format of document for 65% of users. 12% of users strongly agreed that lack of access to computers make use of e-Resources is the cause of no-development. 37% of users strongly agreed that students are leading users of eresources. 44% of users felt that management should provide the necessary infrastructure for the success of e-Resource development.13% Users strongly agreed that Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilitates quick access to information. 40% of users agreed that the application of ICT reduces workload; 27% of users agreed that “Open access provides larger potential evidence and audience.”

Use of E-Sources by the Students of Acharya Nagarjuna University Engineering College: A Survey

The present study aims to examine the use of e-resources by the students of Acharya Nagarjuna University Engineering College. Data was collected from a random sample of 500 students of Acharya Nagarjuna University Engineering College out of 1200 students. Among them, 298 were male students and 202 are female students. A questionnaire tool was used for collecting data. SPSS was used to analyze the data. Data was analysed with regard to the purpose of visiting the library, Internet facility, types of e-sources used, problems faced in using e-sources, satisfaction with photocopying facility, and orientation programme about e-sources. The majority of the students (98.2%) know that their engineering college has a digital library. A few significant differences were found between the responses of male and female students with regard to the various aspects of electronic sources. Finally, recommendations have been made to improve electronic sources in College Library.