Availability and Utilization of Electronic Resources by Postgraduate Students in a Nigerian University Library: A Case Study of University of Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the extent of availability and utilization of electronic resources by postgraduate (PG) students in the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Library. Five research questions and a single hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey was adopted and the population of the study was two thousand, seven hundred and twenty six, while a sample of four hundred postgraduate library users were selected through stratified sampling; two hundred postgraduate student  each from Faculty of Education and Faculty of Science. Questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) was the statistical analysis technique adopted to test the hypothesis under study at 0.05 level of significance. Three hundred and eighty two dully filled questionnaires were received, giving an overall response rate of 95.5 per cent. The result of the analysis revealed that electronic resources were available in Unical Library and P.G. students utilized them. However, online databases were underutilized. The University Library had e-journals, e-books and access to databases and Internet resources. E-journals were the most often used electronic resources. Lack of computer skills, slow network, inconsistent internet connectivity, power outage and irrelevant electronic information resources were the problems postgraduate students encountered while accessing and using electronic resources in Unical Library. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: adequate budgetary allocation should be given to the University Library for subscription to online databases and acquisition of electronic books, more relevant open access databases should be made accessible to users, creation of awareness on the available electronic resources in Unical Library, installation of inverter and battery system in the Electronic Library, and organising users education for better use of electronic resources in Unical Library.

Keywords: Availability, Utilization, Electronic Resources, University of Calabar library, Postgraduate Students.