Knowledge and Use of Electronic Information Resources by Medical Students at Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia

Alriyaee, Sulaiman; Ahmed, Aquil

doi:10.12816/0038790

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Awareness of EIRs is a facilitator for using these resources in the library; the findings from this study suggest that the users of electronic resources at Muni and Lira Universities are aware of the various EIRs provided to them. This outcome is consistent with the studies conducted by 15,[32][33][34]38 who noted that teaching staff were aware of the e-resources, although the usage of these resources remained low. However, this observation contradicts a similar study by Gakibayo et al (2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…For example, the survey conducted by Leonard et al (2020) 15 on electronic resources by law academics at the University of Namibia found that 100% of the Law faculty members were aware of the e-resources subscribed to, although the usage of the resources remained low. The studies by Yebowaah (2017), 32 Ahmed and Al-Reyaee (2017), 33 and Adeleke and Nwalo (2017) 34 reported that the majority of the users were aware of electronic resources and also highlighted the benefits of the awareness of EIRs to the academic community. Similarly, Ncube and Tarumbira (2016) 35 studied using e-resources at the Zimbabwe Open University Midlands Library.…”

Section: Electronic Information Resources Awareness In Academic Libra...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other drivers influencing teaching staff and final-year students to adopt the usage of EIRs in academic libraries are convenience, searching skills, quality information, and exposure to EIRs. [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]…”

Section: Social Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Likewise, the inaccessibility of EIRs due to the public internet restrictions and poor marketing strategies of the library's electronic resources and services were noted as a weakness in using EIRs in libraries. [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Ternenge and Kashimana (2019), 55 Achugbue and Ahimbisibwe (2020), 24 Leonard et al ( 2020), 15 Makozho (2020), 2 Merande et al (2021), 8 and Liasu and Bakrin (2022) 26 further reported that inadequate electricity supply and stability, poor internet connectivity in rural areas and low bandwidth, low publicity, and the unfavourable changes in use agreements terms by EIR's publishers and aggregators are some of the threats to EIRs usage. Finally, dwindling donor support to libraries has been noted as a threat to the sustainability of the payment of EIRs in academic institutions of learning in developing countries such as Uganda.…”

Section: Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Comprehensive assessment of drivers and barriers to electronic information resources usage in academic libraries in uganda using SWOT analysis

Buruga,

Ali,

Izaruku

2024

IJLSIT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The high costs of printed Textbooks have negatively affected the education and library services in many developing countries, forcing institutions and universities to utilise electronic information resources (EIRs) to offer library information services and resources to library users. Many universities in northern Uganda adopted EIRs without evaluating them. This study, therefore, seeks to assess the drivers and barriers to EIR usage in academic libraries in Uganda by analysing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). The study employed a descriptive design to collect quantitative data and a stratified random sampling technique to select the sample size. A structured questionnaire was designed using Google Forms and administered online to the Muni and Lira universities’ teaching staff and final-year students, where 103 were filled by teaching staff and 248 by final-year students. The data collected were analysed using the SPSS Version 28 and RStudio software. Statistical techniques like descriptive analysis were used in the data analysis. The results for the mean ≥ 3.41 were considered statistically significant. The study findings show that most respondents agreed that librarians expose them to all the library EIRs and that it was essential to access EIRs to benefit from its services. The study also identified knowledge and skills, the relevance of EIRs, availability of technological infrastructure and resources, awareness and adaptation, perceived ease of use and access, previous experience, institutional policies, and perceived quality content as the critical drivers for the usage of EIRs in academic libraries. The results of the SWOT analysis identified internal factors (i.e., strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (i.e., opportunities and threats) affecting EIR usage in Ugandan academic libraries. The survey recommends that for the successful adoption and implementation of EIRs in Ugandan libraries, there should be a reliable power supply and internet connectivity for easy access to the EIRs, purchase of more computing devices for accessing the EIRs, training and supporting the users of EIRs in universities; proper accountability and use of donor funds meant for payments of EIRs; and so on. These findings generated ideas that the universities, libraries, and library consortia can use in decision-making regarding choices of EIRs selection and the procurement of EIRs to realise value for money.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Electronic Information Resources Awareness In Academic Libra...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Social Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Comprehensive assessment of drivers and barriers to electronic information resources usage in academic libraries in uganda using SWOT analysis

Buruga,

Ali,

Izaruku

2024

IJLSIT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, Ali stopped his Arabic search when he was not successful in finding the desired resources. Ali’s experience is similar to that of participants in a study by AlRiyaee and Ahmed (2017): those participants turned to general search engines when they failed to find electronic resources via the library portal at Al-Jouf University.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Information-seeking in multilingual digital libraries

Alsalmi

2020

LHT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Less attention has been paid to users’ interactions and behavior in studying multilingual search. Although digital library researchers have yet to assess user interaction and behavior in multilingual search, they have concurred that there is a need for user studies that document the extent to which information retrieval systems meet multilingual users’ needs and expectations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This study is composed of five individual cases. The case study participants were Saudi students enrolled either at a large state university or Historically Black College and University located in the same community. Research questions are, what do Saudi Digital Library (SDL) users experience when searching within the SDL in Arabic and English? And what strategies do they use if they fail to find resources? Data collected for this study were via a qualitative method called video-stimulated recall. Findings In the Arabic search tasks, participants realized that finding resources is not easy. Participants expressed their concerns about the lack of relevance and accuracy of results returned by the search system, indicating weak trust and confidence in the search system. Whereas in the English search task, participants felt more satisfied and confident in their ability to trust the results returned from the search system. Participants expressed their satisfaction in the search experience as it provided them with accurate and varying resources. The participants faced difficulties finding Arabic resources than English resources in the SDL. Originality/value This study is considered one of the earliest works in studying the information-seeking behavior of multilingual digital libraries in the Arabic language. The value of this study arises as being the first study to investigate and report the information-seeking behavior of SDL users.

show abstract

Transforming libraries and information professionals for the industry 4.0 in developing countries: Towards the development of a framework for accelerating change post-Covid-19

Salubi

2023

Alexandria: The Journal of National and International Library a

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous countries, including several in Africa, implemented lockdown measures. Unfortunately, libraries and information centres were not deemed essential services providers, resulting in partial operations or complete closures. Among the hardest-hit by the pandemic were developing economies, where libraries, typically non-profit organizations, play a crucial role. These institutions usually rely on funding from the government (in the case of public libraries) or parent institutions, which themselves often depend on government support (as is the case with academic libraries in government-owned institutions). With the economies of these countries suffering and experiencing a slow recovery, libraries in developing nations are likely to face further budgetary constraints. In addition to the economic impact on funding, there is a significant risk of a decline in the literacy rate among children due to the closure of libraries and schools during lockdowns. This paper employs a SWOT analysis to identify the challenges and benefits for libraries and information professionals from both societal and professional perspectives. Despite the obstacles that libraries in the developing world may encounter in the post-pandemic era, as well as during the fourth industrial revolution, there are also valuable opportunities that can be harnessed. One such opportunity is the provision of information services to digitally literate, yet informationally illiterate communities.

show abstract

Knowledge and Use of Electronic Information Resources by Medical Students at Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Electronic resources are becoming an integral part of the modern education system, especially in higher education settings.

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Comprehensive assessment of drivers and barriers to electronic information resources usage in academic libraries in uganda using SWOT analysis

Comprehensive assessment of drivers and barriers to electronic information resources usage in academic libraries in uganda using SWOT analysis

Information-seeking in multilingual digital libraries

Transforming libraries and information professionals for the industry 4.0 in developing countries: Towards the development of a framework for accelerating change post-Covid-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About