Problems that users encounter in accessing these resources determine the use of print and electronic resources. The present study evaluated the use and preference of print and electronic resources by students of the University of Malawi College of Medicine.
Importance of print and electronic resources 93
The future of print and electronic resources 100
User training, computer and information literacy 101
Problems encountered when consulting print and electronic resources 102 .1 Problems encountered when consulting print resources 102
Implications of the findings for the COM Library 104
List of tables
List of acronyms and abbreviations
Setting the scene
Introduction
- Background to the University of Malawi College of Medicine (COM)
- Description of the problem
- The purpose of the study
- Objectives of the study
- Research questions
- Justification of the study
- Limitations of the study
- Definitions of terms used in the study
- Summary of the chapter
Electronic resources are listed on another webpage of the Faculty of Medicine website (University of Malawi College of Medicine 2003c). The purpose of the study was to assess student use of print and electronic resources at the University of Malawi School of Medicine.
Literature review
Introduction
- Use of print and electronic resources
- Preference for print compared with electronic resources
- User training, computer and information literacy
- Issues facing academic and research libraries
- Budgeting in academic and research libraries
- Technological infrastructure
- Licensing and copyright agreements
- Archiving of electronic resources
- Methodologies employed in the literature
- Summary of the chapter
The results showed that the use of printed and electronic resources depended on the reasons for use. The use of electronic resources depends on the user's ability to use the computer to access and retrieve.
Research methodology
Introduction
- Research method
- Population
- Size of population
- Known characteristics of the population
- Instrumentation
- The questionnaire
- The interview schedule
- Forms of questions
- Pre-testing the questionnaire
- Population for the pre-test
- Administering the pre-test
- Changes resulting from the pre-test
- Administering the research instruments
- Administering the questionnaire
- Administering the interview schedule
- Data analysis
- Evaluation of the research method
- Summary of the chapter
Another reason why the survey method was chosen in the present study was that most of the studies included in the. It was projected that the findings of the study would depict the current state of student use of print and electronic resources available in the COM library. The first section asked the respondent what proportion of the budget was allocated to the COM library and what proportions were allocated to print and electronic resources.
The interview schedule wanted to establish how users were made aware of the available resources in the Library (Section F). The respondents were asked to fill in the questionnaire and comment on the structure, wording, clarity and relevance of the questions. With the help of the COM Library staff, students who visited the library were reminded to return completed.
The response rate was so low that it was necessary to extend the deadline for completing the questionnaire. Thus, a researcher must be aware of potential sources of bias due to the different characteristics between them. The reliability of the study could not be ascertained due to the low response rate and non-response bias.
Results of the study
Introduction
- Response rate
- Questionnaire results
- Background information
- Use of print and electronic resources
- Use of print resources
- Use of electronic resources
- Preference for print and electronic resources
- User education
- Summary of questionnaire results
- Interview results
- Budget
More than half of respondents indicated that COM Library resources were essential to their academic studies, followed by respondents who. Overall, most respondents perceived that COM Library resources were important to them. This section of the questionnaire was dedicated to those respondents who indicated that they used printed sources.
Websites where and by respondents indicated that websites were important and very important, respectively. Of the 65 respondents who indicated that they used electronic resources, very few (26) respondents answered this question. The areas covered included respondents' views on the importance of computer skills in accessing electronic resources and their level of computer skills.
The rest of the respondents were not satisfied with the training they received from the COM Library. Most respondents felt that the Library's resources were essential for their academic studies. Most respondents felt that print resources would co-exist with electronic resources.
The question was raised as to what proportion of the COM Library's budget was allocated to printed and electronic resources. Printed resources accounted for 28% and electronic resources for 17.5% of the total budget of the COM Library.
- Infrastructure
- Spacing
- Technological infrastructure
- Staffing
- Licensing and copyright agreements
- Archiving of electronic resources
- Awareness of print and electronic resources
- Usage of print and electronic resources
- Summary of the interview results
- Summary of the chapter
The study aimed to establish whether there were sufficient staff responsible for printed and electronic resources and what their qualifications were. The CL was asked if there were any staff responsible for user support with access to print and electronic resources. The other staff responsible for user support to access electronic resources only had a Malawi School Leaving Certificate.
A question was asked whether the Library had any plans in the future to create staff positions responsible for supporting users in accessing print and electronic resources. However, there were no plans for staff responsible for supporting users of both written and electronic resources. CL was asked how students become aware of existing or new print and electronic resources available in the COM Library.
The final part of the interview plan was about the use of print and electronic resources available to users at the COM library. Awareness of print and electronic resources was created through user training sessions and emails to students. Recommendations for the COM library to improve user training in accessing print and electronic resources by respondents were also discussed.
Interpretation of results
Introduction
- Revisiting the objectives of the study
- The use of print and electronic resources
- Importance of print and electronic resources
- Use of print resources
- Use of electronic resources
- Preference for print and electronic resources
- The future of print and electronic resources
- User training, computer and information literacy
The limited time that students had access to the computer indicates the non-use of electronic resources. Sathe, Grady, and Giuse (2002) found that most students preferred electronic resources to print. Students in this study used both print and electronic resources, but they preferred print resources.
Students found it more convenient to use print resources than electronic resources, primarily due to limited access to computers, which hampered their use of electronic resources. The use of electronic resources was thus limited to the opening hours of the COM library and the computer laboratory. Students' use and preference for print resources was related to their view of the future of print and electronic resources.
Most of the students indicated that print sources will continue to coexist with electronic sources. This implies that the students felt that electronic resources will not replace printed resources but will complement them. So information search and retrieval skills are therefore an essential component in the use of electronic resources.
5.5 Problems encountered when consulting print and electronic
- Problems encountered when consulting print resources
- Problems encountered when consulting electronic resources
- Implications of the findings for the COM Library
- Summary of the chapter
Slow internet and frequent web server failure prevented students from accessing and using electronic resources. Some of the students (19 or 39.6%) highlighted the lack of computer skills to effectively retrieve information as one of the problems they encountered when accessing electronic resources. Dutton (in Ray and Day 1998) stated that "the skills required to maximize the potential of electronic resources are far greater than those required for researching print resources".
In addition to this, limited access to computer terminals and lack of computer skills to effectively search and retrieve electronic resources prohibit users from fully accessing them. The library's preference for electronic resources over print, as a cost-saving measure, means that the resources are not fully utilized by users. The university librarian stated that the printed resources were used by the students, while electronic resources were not.
Thus, students who do not have the skills to search and retrieve information encountered difficulties in accessing electronic resources. Regarding license agreements, the university librarian stated that users of some electronic resources may not send by e-mail or print. The COM Library favored electronic resources over print when resources appeared in both formats.
Conclusion and recommendations
Introduction
- Revisiting the purpose and objectives of the study
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Technological infrastructure
- User training in computer and information searching and retrieval
- Awareness of print and electronic resources
- Staff training and user support
- Archiving of electronic resources
- Future research
- Summary of the chapter
The survey evaluated the use of print and electronic resources by undergraduate students at the COM library. Libraries are expected to defend their spending on the acquisition of print and electronic resources. Therefore, it is extremely important that the COM library effectively combines its print and electronic resources into useful and efficient search tools.
The lack of use of print and electronic resources is partly due to lack of awareness among students. The COM library plans to create jobs for staff responsible for supporting users in accessing electronic resources. Archiving is one of the issues that the COM library must address in relation to access to electronic resources.
The proposed study will investigate the differences in students' use of information in relation to written and electronic resources. The study would also determine the level of students' awareness of the existence of written and electronic resources. Following these conclusions, recommendations were made that could help the COM Library to improve access to and use of print and electronic resources 0:(.
List of works cited
Trends in the use of electronic journals in UK higher education.: views of academic staff and students.D-Lib Magazine9(6). Information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge and skills of subject librarians at the university libraries of KwaZulu-Natal. Caught in the web: the impact of library instruction on business students' perceptions and use of print and online resources.
Speech at the Official Opening of the Faculty of Medicine Library, Faculty of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi. A comparison of print and electronic journal usage patterns in an academic health science library. Issues in &ience and Technology LibrarianshipFall. Research procedures used by MSc students in information studies at the University of Natal during 1982-2002 with particular reference to their sampling techniques and survey response rates: a methodological discourse.
Report of and papers presented at the Regional Workshop on Network for Improved Access to Fisheries and Aquaculture Information Africa, South Africa, 3-7 November 2003. A comparative study of the costs and benefits of journal ownership versus full-text electronic access in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Natal, Durban Libraries. The development of national principles to guide librarians in the licensing of electronic resources. Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory.
Appendices
PLEASE RETURN THE QUESTIONNAIRE BY THE
If you need more space to write your answers, use the back of the questionnaire, but be sure to indicate the number(s) of the relevant question/item. How important the College of Medicine Library's resources are to your academic studies. What problems do you encounter when accessing print resources? please mark or cross all that apply). o The materials do not meet my needs. o Materials are missing from the Library, eg, stolen, vandalized, etc. oStaff not always available to help.
If you were given a choice between print and electronic resources, which would you prefer? I prefer electronic resources because: (Please tick or cross all that apply). o They are easy to navigate. o They are available 24 hours a day. Have you had any training from the College Library in search and information retrieval skills since you enrolled in the College of Medicine?
If yes, how would you rate the training you received in the college library? What would you recommend to the University Library to improve the training of users in accessing printed resources. What would you recommend to the University Library to improve the training of users to access electronic resources.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION
Infrastructure
Do staff receive any form of ongoing training to improve their skills and knowledge?
Licensing and copyright agreements
Have you had any questions regarding electronic resources that the user previously accessed but are now unavailable. How familiar students are with existing or new print resources available in the library. How we introduce students to existing or new electronic resources available in the library.
If so, what do you think are the barriers that lead to underutilization of the print resources available in the library. If yes, what do you think are the barriers that cause underutilization of the electronic resources available in the library.
