AnnalsNATARAJAN

of Library and et al. : USE AND

Information USER PERCEPTION OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES IN ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY
Studies 59
Vol. 57, March 2010, pp. 59-64

Use and user perception of electronic resources in

Annamalai University: a case study
K. Natarajan1, B. Suresh2, P. Sivaraman3 and R.Sevukan4
1
Assistant Librarian, Annamalai University Library, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu
Email: natannamalai1951@gmail.com
2
Senior Lecturer-cum-Liaison Officer, Department of Library and Information Science
Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu
Email: srsbhaskar9@gmail.com
3
Reader, Library and Information Science Wing, DDE, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu
Email: psraman.p@gmail.com
4
Reader, Department of Library and Information Science, Pondicherry University, Puducherry
Email: sevukan2002@yahoo.com

Survey of 117 faculty members and research scholars on use and user perception of electronic resources in Annamalai
University reveals that despite the availability of wide range of e-resources the frequency of their use was low. The reasons
identified for this are lack of time, lack of awareness, lack of subject coverage; and slow downloading.

Introduction became a University in 1929 and presently has 48

The digital revolution driven by information
communication technologies has transformed academic
libraries. It has an impact on every sphere of academic
library activity, e.g., the form of the library, collection
development strategies, library buildings and consortia1.
Computers and networked electronic resources have
become an integral part of the academic library during
the past decade. This has been underscored by the
phenomenon of knowledge or information common in
academic libraries, which refers to a specific environment
in the library where a designated number of PC
workstations are networked to databases and other e-
resources are made available to students2. Library users
are no longer obliged to visit the library to meet all their
information needs. They may search the library’s online
catalogue; use a subject guide or database to access a
citation from the internet or access a full text article from
web-based journals; they may browse an electronic
journal; fill out an interlibrary lending form; e-mail a
reference question via the ask-a-librarian service or
borrow an e-book – all by remote access3.
Annamalai University is one of the largest universities in
the country. It started as the Minakshi College in 1920,
departments of study with 6000 teaching staff and 11567
administrative staff. It has student strength of about
40,000 pursuing different regular programmes of study.
The university has a well-equipped library with a variety
of collections including e-resources like online databases,
e-journals, e-books, full text articles, and websites, etc
through UGC-Infonet e-journals consortium.
Objectives of the study
The study was undertaken to analyse the effectiveness
of e-resources provided by Annamalai University for its
faculty members and research scholars in eight different
faculties. Specific objectives of the study are:
• To know the awareness of e-resources among
the users of Annamalai University Library;
• To study the degree of utilization of e-journals
by the users of Annamalai University Library;
• To determine the level of satisfaction of the users
on e-resources; and
• To examine the effectiveness of e-resources in
upgrading the faculty members and research
scholars in their profession.
60 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., MARCH 2010

Review of literature full-text of articles was the major problem faced in

4
Haridasan and Khan based on a survey conducted at
National Social Science Documentation Centre
(NASSDOC) reveal that majority of the users which
include research scholars and scientists were aware of
most of the electronic resources. Gunasekaran,
Balasubramani, and Sivaraj5 found that among nine
departments in Bannari Amman Institute of Technology
(BAIT), computer science and engineering users use
the electronic journals highest (17%) followed by
information technology (16%), computer applications
(15%), electrical and electronics engineering (12%),
electronics and communication engineering (10%),
mechanical engineering (9%), biotechnology (8%), civil
engineering (7%) and textile technology (6%). Sevukan
and Sivaraman 6 revealed that with regard to the
satisfaction of users on the adequacy of e-resources
provided by Pondicherry University Library, 70.59 % of
users were satisfied while 29.41% ware not. Raza and
Upadhyay7 found that that all the researchers were aware
of e-journals in Aligarh Muslim University. Many research
scholars were consulting e-journals from their
departmental labs and computer centres, not only for
research purposes but also to update their own knowledge
and skills. However, the study also revealed several
problems, including lack of training and slow downloading.
Mohamed and Sreelatha8 found that most (93.40 per
cent) of the doctoral students had access to e-journals
and a sizeable number (48.83 per cent) of the male
doctoral students used e-journals everyday. Most (73.63
per cent) of doctoral students indicated that accessing
browsing e-journals. Kaur9 revealed that majority of
respondents (37.50%) made use of E-resources 2-3 times
a week whereas only 40.83% respondents made use of
online databases. Parameshwar and Kumbargoudar10
observed that most of the research scholars searched
printed journals and electronic journals. UGC-Infonet
consortium was most helpful in fulfilling their information
needs.
Methods and procedures
To collect data, a questionnaire was designed with
questions like demographic characteristics, computer
skills, frequency of use, satisfaction with e-resources,
performance of the library in satisfying the needs of the
faculty members and research scholars. Besides
questionnaire method, observation and interview methods
were also adopted. The target population of this study
was faculty members and research scholars from eight
different faculties. The total population of faculty
members and research scholars was 1000 and 750
respectively. Proportionate stratified random sampling
technique was adopted for deriving sample population
which constitutes 20 percent of total population from each
category. Thus, a total of 350 questionnaires – 200 for
faculty members; and 150 for research scholars – were
distributed, of which, 225 filled in questionnaires were
received with a response rate of 65.25%. No responses
were received from the faculty members of languages
and fine arts. The study was conducted during November
2008 and the questionnaire was self-administered.

Table 1— Status of respondents

Faculty Faculty members Research scholars
Distributed Received Response rate (%) Distributed Received Response rate (%)

Faculty of Medicine 15 11 73.33 10 5 50.00

Faculty of Agriculture 12 8 66.67 10 5 50.00
Faculty of Engineering 32 25 78.13 12 9 75.00
Faculty of Arts 44 26 59.09 50 42 84.00
Faculty of Science 38 27 71.05 45 36 80.00
Faculty of Education 27 20 74.07 15 6 40.00
Faculty of Languages 20 0 0.00 6 4 66.67
Faculty of Fine Arts 12 0 0.00 2 1 50.00
Total 200 117 58.50 150 108 72.00
 NATARAJAN et al. : USE AND USER PERCEPTION OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES IN ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY 61

Table 2 — Distribution of awareness of e-resources

E-resources Faculty members N=117 % age Research scholars N=108 % age Total
Percentage

E-books 49 41.88 51 47.22 100 10.13

E-journals 84 71.79 89 82.41 173 17.53
E-dictionaries 32 27.35 29 26.85 61 6.18
E-encyclopedia 42 35.90 54 50.00 96 9.73
E-theses 18 15.38 72 66.67 90 9.12
E-newspapers 68 58.12 73 67.59 141 14.29
CD-ROM databases 32 27.35 26 24.07 58 5.88
Online databases 24 20.51 64 59.26 88 8.92
Total 349 468 807

Table 3 — Distribution of awareness approach to e-resources

Awareness approach Faculty members % age Research scholars % age Total % age

Membership of other libraries 14 11.97 9 8.33 23 10.22

Library websites 22 18.80 16 14.81 38 16.89
Library brochure 18 15.38 12 11.11 30 13.33
Colleagues 33 28.21 46 42.59 79 35.11
Staff and other sources 27 23.08 16 14.81 43 19.11
User orientation 3 2.56 9 8.33 12 5.33

Total 117 100 108 100 225 100.00

Results and discussions
Status of respondents
Table 1 presents the details of questionnaires distribution
and the response rate. The analysis reveals that out of
200 questionnaires distributed to the faculty members,
117 responses (58.50%) were received back, while 108
responses out of 150 questionnaires distributed were
received back from research scholars with a response
rate of 72 percent.
Awareness of e-resources
Table 2 reveals the awareness of e-resources among
users of Annamalai University library. There were eight
kinds of e-resources specified in the questionnaire. The
analysis showed that the majority of faculty members
were aware of e-journals (71.79 percent), e-newspapers
(58.12 percent), and e-books (41.88 percent). A majority
of research scholars were also aware of e-journals (82.41
percent), e-newspapers (67.59 percent), e-theses (66.67
percent), and online databases (59.26 percent). It is
surprising that the users were not much aware of the
other sources like e-dictionaries, e-encyclopaedia, etc.
Further it is seen that 33 faculty members (28.21 percent)
and 46 research scholars (42.59 percent) were aware
of e-resources through their colleagues whereas 22
faculty members (18.80 percent) and 16 research
scholars (14.81 percent) became aware through the
library website; and 27 faculty members (23.08 percent)
and 16 research scholars (14.81 percent) came to know
about the e-resources from the library staff and other
sources (Table 3).
Use of e-resources
Table 4 depicts the result pertaining to utilization of e-
resources available in library which indicates that 69
faculty members to (58.97 percent) and 67 research
scholars (62.02 percent) were using e-resources available
in Annamalai University Library while 48 faculty
members (41.03 percent) and 41 research scholars (37.96
percent) were not using then.
62 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., MARCH 2010

Table 4 — Use of e-resources available in the library

Options No. of respondents Total Percentage

Faculty members Percentage Research scholars Percentage

Yes 69 58.97 67 62.04 136 60.44

No 48 41.03 41 37.96 89 39.56
Total 117 100 108 100 225 100.00

Table 5 — Frequently used e-resources

e-Resources No. of respondents

Faculty members % Research % Total %
scholars

E-books 4 3.42 2 1.85 6 2.67

E-journals 58 49.57 41 37.96 95 42.22
E-dictionaries 3 2.56 2 1.85 7 3.11
E-encyclopedia 0 0.00 1 0.93 1 0.44
E-theses 2 1.71 25 23.15 30 13.33
E-newspapers 37 31.62 15 13.89 52 23.11
CD-ROM databases 7 5.98 13 12.04 20 8.89
Online databases 6 5.13 9 8.33 14 6.22

Total 117 100 108 100 225 100

Table 6 — Reasons for not using e-resources

Reasons No. of respondents

Faculty % age Research % age Total % age

members scholars

Unfamiliar with e-resources 4 8.33 5 12.20 9 10.11

Lack of subject coverage 12 25.00 9 21.95 21 23.60
Lack of training 5 10.42 6 14.63 11 12.36
Lack of confidence 2 4.17 3 7.32 5 5.62
Lack of time 9 18.75 5 12.20 14 15.73
Slow downloading 16 33.33 13 31.71 29 32.58

Total 48 100.00 41 100.00 89 100.00

Frequently used e-resources Reasons for not using e-resources

Table 5 shows the frequently used e-resources at
Annamalai University. It was observed that e-journals
were used extensively by faculty members (49.57
percent) and research scholars (37.96 percent). E-
newspapers were utilised by faculty members (31.62
percent) much more than research scholars (13.89
percent). The least frequently used e-resources were
e-dictionaries and e-encyclopaedia.
The reasons for not using the e-resources are given in
Table 6. The result shows that out of 48 faculty members
who were not using e-resources, 4 (8.33 percent) were
not able to use it due to non-familiarity with e-resources,
12 (25 percent) due to lack of subject coverage, 5 (10.42
percent) due to lack of training, 2 (4.17 percent) due to
lack of confidence, 9 (18.75 percent) due to lack of time,
 NATARAJAN et al. : USE AND USER PERCEPTION OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES IN ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY 63

Table 7 — Distribution of time spent on e-resources

Time spent No. of respondents

Faculty % age Research scholars % age Total % age

Never Spent 48 41.03 41 37.96 89 39.56

Less than one hour 17 14.53 11 10.19 28 12.44

One hour 15 12.82 12 11.11 27 12.00

More than one hour 16 13.68 15 13.89 31 13.78

Two hours 10 8.55 17 15.74 27 12.00

More than two hours 11 9.40 12 11.11 23 10.22

Total 117 100.00 108 100 225 100.00

Table 8 — Opinion on the relevance of e-resources

User Very % age Dissatisfied % age Some % age Satisfied % age Very % age Total
category dissatisfied what satisfied
satisfied

Faculty members 11 9.40 21 17.95 42 35.90 22 18.80 21 17.95 117

Research scholars 9 8.33 18 16.67 47 43.52 21 19.44 13 12.04 108
Total 20 8.89 39 17.33 89 39.56 43 19.11 34 15.11 225

Table 9 — Opinion on the need for training

User category Strongly % Disagree % Neutral % Agree % Strongly % Total

disagree Agree

Faculty members 3 2.56 7 5.98 32 27.35 54 46.15 21 17.95 117

Research scholars 2 1.85 9 8.33 31 28.70 30 27.78 36 33.33 108
Total 5 2.22 16 7.11 63 28.00 84 37.33 57 25.33 225

and 16 (33.33 percent) were due to slow downloading.
Of the 41 research scholars who gave a negative
response to using e-resources gave the reason as not
being familiar with e- resources, i.e., 5 (12.20 percent),
where as 9 (21.95 percent) opined that lack of subject
coverage, 6 (14.63 percent) gave the reason as due to
lack of training, 5 (12.20 percent) were due to lack of
time, 3 (7.32 percent) were due to lack of confidence,
and 13 (31.71 percent) responded to slow downloading.
Thus, it is clear from the analysis that slow downloading
was prime factor for less usage of e-resources.
Time spent on e-resources
In Table 7, the result of time spent in searching and
accessing e-resources is provided. Out of 117 faculty
members, 48 (41.03 percent) never spent time for
accessing e-resources while 17 (14.53 percent) spent
less than one hour in searching and/or accessing e-
resources; 15 (12.82 percent) spent one hour; 16 (13.68
percent) spent more than one hour; 10 (8.55 percent)
spent two hours; and 11 (9.40 percent) spent more than
two hours On the other hand, out of 108 research
scholars, 41 (37.96 percent) never spent time for
64 ANN. LIB. INF. STU., MARCH 2010
accessing e-resources while 11 (10.19 percent) spent
less than one hour in searching and/or accessing e-
resources; 12 (11.11 percent) spent one hour; 15 (13.89
percent) spent more than one hour; 17 (15.74 percent)
spent two hours; and 12 (11.11 percent) spent more than
two hours. Therefore, it is clear that most of the users,
irrespective of the category, spent more than one hour
for searching/accessing e-resources. Contrastingly, 89
users which overall accounts for 39.56 percent did not
spent time for searching/accessing e-resources at all.
Relevance of e-resources
Table 8 shows the satisfaction level of faculty members
in terms of relevance of e-resources. Twenty one (17.95
percent) faculty members were very satisfied; 22 (18.80
percent) were satisfied; and 42 (35.90 percent) were
somewhat satisfied whereas 21 (17.95 percent) faculty
members were found to be dissatisfied and 11 (9.40
percent) were very dissatisfied. In case of research
scholars, the satisfaction level in terms of relevance of
e-resources was found to be as 13 (12.04 percent)
research scholars were very satisfied; 21 (19.44 percent)
were satisfied; and 47 (43.52 percent) were somewhat
satisfied whereas 18 (16.67 percent) research scholars
were found to be dissatisfied and 9 (8.33 percent) were
very dissatisfied. As a result, it was observed that more
than 50 percent of the users were of the opinion that the
relevance of the e-resources covered by e-journals
consortium of Annamalai University was satisfactory.
Opinion on the need for training
An attempt was made to analyse the need for training to
make best use of the resources. The result of the analysis,
as shown in Table 9, reveals that majority of the users
agreed that training would lead to better utilization of
e-resources.
Conclusion
The use of electronic resources in found to be significant
among the users of the Annamalai University. This is
quite natural and expected in the present day
implementation environment. Some of the resources such
as e-book, e-encyclopedias and e-dictionaries are less
used. To further maximum use of the e-resources, wide
publicity and imparting trainings are found to be necessary.
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