A survey of students' use of and satisfaction with university subscribed online resources in two specialized universities in a developing country
| Date | 26 April 2013 |
| Pages | 6-8 |
| Published date | 26 April 2013 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-02-2013-0010 |
| Author | S.M. Zabed Ahmed |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Corrigendum
In the original publication of this
article the following reference was
erroneously omitted: “Islam, M.S.,
Alam, M.S. and Sultana, S. (2011),
“Access and usage of electronic
journals in Dhaka University Library
(DUL): an empirical study”, Journal of
the Bangladesh Association of Young
Researchers (JBAYR), Vol. 1 No. 2,
pp. 30-34”.
Introduction
Traditionally, access to electronic
information resources by the academic
community in developing countries
has been limited mostly due to
poor information technology (IT)
infrastructure and the huge cost
associated withsuch resources. In recent
years, several universities in Bangladesh
have started accessing online resources
mostlythrough donor-sponsoredservices
such as INASP-PERii and through
AGORA, HINARI and OARE.
Nevertheless, the universities which
have access to online resources do not
appear to have studied their students’
opinions with regard to subscribed
resources in order to ensure a dynamic
teaching-learning interaction with such
resources.The main aimof this paper is to
analyze the pattern of university
subscribed resources use by the students
of two public universities in Bangladesh
and to find out the problems faced by
them in accessingthese resources.
Literature review
While the use of electronic resources
by students in developed countries is
well-recognized (see, for example,
Tenopir (2003) for a review of earlier
studies and recent research by Gray
(2011)), their use and adoption by
universities in developing countries are
still mixed. Ndinoshiho (2010) found
that many electronic resources were
substantially under-utilized by
undergraduate nursing students in an
African University. The main barriers
identified were the shortage of computers,
unreliable internet connections and lack
of skills. Similarly, Ani (2010) found that
although the internet is extensively used
by undergraduate students in Nigerian
universities, the use of electronic
resources such as the electronic journals
and online databases by them was poor.
Raza and Upadhyay (2006) measured the
usage of e-journals by the researchers at
Aligarh Muslim University, India and
found that most researchers used both
printed and electronic journals. They
noted that lack of training and slow
downloadspeed were the majorproblems
in using e-journals. More recent studies
(Chirra and Madhusudhan, 2009; Gupta,
2011), however, found that researchers
preferred electronic rather than print
journals. Similar to other studies, these
papers also reported that the lack of
training and internet facilities are the most
common problems in using e-journals in
the Indian universities.
There have been only two studies
conducted in Bangladesh that attempted
to discuss the access and usage of
electronic resources in the universities.
In one study, Islam et al. (2011)
discussed the usage of e-journals
subscribed by the Dhaka University
Library. Of only 20 students that
responded, Islam et al. reported that
most of them were unaware of the
existence of e-journals in the university.
The study identified the following major
problems with regard to access and
usage of e-journals at Dhaka University:
lack of knowledge and awareness of e-
journals among students and faculty
members; lack of adequate fund
allocation to subscriptions; lack of
knowledge about the links to
e-journals; lack of computer skills; lack
of adequate computer lab facilities; and
lack of training and orientation
programs. In another study, Ahmed
(2013) found that most faculty
members in public universities in
the country are not satisfied with the
electronic resources subscribed by the
universities. He suggested establishing a
consortium for university libraries to
ensure affordable access to more online
resources and services.
It is clear that there is insufficient
research on the usage of electronic
resources in Bangladesh. In addition,
there are no empirical studies conducted
on students’ use and satisfaction with the
electronic resources accessed through
the university networks. This is the first
time an effort has been made to study the
use of online resources by the students in
two specialized public universities in
Bangladesh.
Methods and procedures followed
A structured questionnaire was used
to obtain students’ opinions on
electronic resources subscribed by the
two universities. The questionnaire was
distributed over a period of three days
in June 2012. Only 100 questionnaires
in each university were distributed to
students at the university library and
student dormitories. The questionnaire
consisted of following items:
(1) demographic characteristics such
as gender and age;
(2) purpose and frequency of online
resources use;
(3) students’ opinions on university
subscribed resources; and
(4) problems faced by them in
accessing subscribed resources.
6
Library Hi Tech News
Number 3 2013, pp. 6-7, qEmerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/LHTN-02-2013-0010
A survey of students’ use of and satisfaction with
university subscribed online resources in two
specialized universities in a developing country
S.M. Zabed Ahmed
To continue reading
Request your trial