Awareness and Use of Electronic Information Resources by Students of College of Health Sciences in Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined awareness and use of electronic Information Resources (EIR) among students in College of Health Sciences, Sagamu, Nigeria. The objectives were to establish types of resources available, determine level of awareness, extent of the use of e-resources and problems faced. Descriptive survey design with real-time observation method was used to collect data using a structured questionnaire. The population comprised 2000 students in the College while purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 200 registered library users for the 2019/2020 academic session. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that majority of the students were not aware of available EIR. It also revealed low frequent usage. The finding indicated that few respondents used EIR for academic purposes. However, inadequate computers, irregular power supply and slow internet speed were identified as major constraints using EIR. Upgrade of infrastructure, adoption of appropriate social media tools to promote awareness and collaborative effort by librarians and faculty members to train students the use of specialized databases were recommended.
 Keywords: Electronic information resources, awareness, use, Undergraduates, students, health sciences

Utilization of Information Resources and Services among Undergraduate Students in Federal University Libraries in South-South, Nigeria

“…It is therefore vital for librarians to create awareness concerning the library and its resources. This view is in line with the views of [15] whose study revealed that students are not aware of the resources in the library. Lack of awareness of availability of information resources tends to prevent students from utilizing the information resources made available in the library.…”

“…They have to interact with tangible and non-tangible information resources to ensure their academic excellence. Stressing the importance and benefits of utilizing information resources in the library, [15] observed that students are either not aware and or not making optimum use of these vital resources. She went ahead to note that, of what benefits are resources when they are not utilized for the purpose for which they are acquired?…”

“…Also, [15] conducted a study to examine the awareness and use of electronic Information Resources (EIR) among students in College of Health Sciences, Sagamu, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to establish the different types of materials available, ascertain the level of awareness and the problems faced by users.…”

Low Utilisation of Online Research Resources by Lecturers: Causes and Remedies

“…Internet resources, electronic resources, e-journals, and online information resources are also included (Lee, 2012). These items need researcher access to a computer via desktop or mobile devices in a library or at home (Osinulu, 2020). Researchers can use online research resources (ORRs) to review literature, instrument preparation, data collecting, and analysis.…”

“…The difficulty of navigating through electronic resources continues to be a challenge for users (Enakrire and Onyanania, 2007). Some researchers have looked into how people are aware of and use electronic information resources (Osinulu, 2020), E-resources (Ansari, 2020), and internet resources and services (Osinulu, 2020). According to Suleiman and Joshua ( 2019), these resources were seldom used.…”