The Digital Library Needs of St.

Mary's University: A Needs Assessment and

Recommendations for Improvement

This research proposal is submitted to the faculty of the department of computer

science, St Mary’s university

Supervisor

Damea Herpha

Student Name Student ID

1. Alazar Daniel RCD/3213/2013

2. Elyas kassa RCD/3213/2013
3. Natnael Teshome RCD/3213/2013

August 9, 2023
Table of Contents: Pages

Introduction (Background/Overview)------------------------------------2
Problem Statement----------------------------------------------------------3
General Objective-----------------------------------------------------------3
Specific Objectives----------------------------------------------------------3
Motivation--------------------------------------------------------------------4
Significance------------------------------------------------------------------4
Scope and Limitation-------------------------------------------------------4
Feasibility--------------------------------------------------------------------5
Literature Review (Prior Work)-------------------------------------------5
Methodology-----------------------------------------------------------------6
Deliverables------------------------------------------------------------------6
Resources (Tools)-----------------------------------------------------------7
Milestones--------------------------------------------------------------------8
References--------------------------------------------------------------------9

1
Introduction (Background/Overview):

St. Mary's University is a private university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It has four
campuses in Addis Ababa, 13 Distance Education Regional Centers, and 160 Coordination
Offices throughout the country. The university has 200 full-time academic staff and 1000
employees. It caters to the needs of six thousand undergraduate students, twenty thousand
students enrolled in distance education programs, and two thousand students in graduate
programs.

The university library is a vital resource for students and faculty. It has a collection of over one
million books and journals, as well as a growing collection of digital resources. However, the
library is not always able to meet the needs of its users. For example, the library's collection of
digital resources is not as extensive as it could be, and the library's policies for accessing digital
resources can be restrictive.

This project will assess the digital library needs of students and faculty at St. Mary's University.
It will also make recommendations for improving the library's digital library services. The
project will use a mixed-method approach, including a survey of students and faculty, as well as
an analysis of the library's current collection of digital resources.

The findings of this project will be used to improve the library's digital library services and to
ensure that students and faculty have the resources they need to succeed.

2
Problem Statement:
Students and faculty at St. Mary's University are not always able to access the digital resources
they need to succeed. This is due to a number of factors, including:
The rising costs of digital resources, the lack of access to digital resources from off-campus, and
the need for training on how to use digital resources are preventing students and faculty at St.
Mary's University from accessing the resources they need to succeed. This problem will be
addressed by conducting a survey of students and faculty to assess their digital library needs, and
by making recommendations for improving the library's digital library services.

General Objective:
The general objective of this project is to assess the digital library needs of students and faculty
at St. Mary's University and to make recommendations for improving the library's digital library
services.

Specific Objectives:

These specific objectives will be important for achieving the general objective of the project,
which is to assess the digital library needs of students and faculty at St. Mary's University and to
make recommendations for improving the library's digital library services.

The first specific objective, to conduct a survey of students and faculty, will help to identify the
digital resources that are most important to them. This information will be essential for making
recommendations for improving the library's collection of digital resources.

The second specific objective, to analyze the library's current collection of digital resources, will
help to identify gaps in the collection and to identify opportunities for improvement. This
information will also be essential for making recommendations for improving the library's
collection of digital resources.

The third specific objective, to develop recommendations for improving the library's digital
library services, will help to ensure that the library is meeting the needs of students and faculty.
This objective will be the culmination of the project and will be based on the findings of the
survey and analysis.

3
Motivation:

The motivation for this project is to assess the digital library needs of students and faculty at St.
Mary's University and to make recommendations for improving the library's digital library
services. I chose this project topic because I believe that it is important to ensure that students
and faculty have access to the digital resources they need to succeed. I also believe that this
project will be beneficial to the library, as it will help them to improve their services and better
meet the needs of their users.

The expected outcome of this project is to identify the digital resources that are most important
to students and faculty at St. Mary's University. This information will be essential for making
recommendations for improving the library's collection of digital resources. The expected utility
of this outcome is that it will help the library to provide better service to its users and to ensure
that they have access to the resources they need to succeed.

Significance:
This project is significant because it will improve the digital library services at St. Mary's
University. This will benefit students and faculty by giving them access to the resources they
need to succeed. It will also benefit the university by making it a more attractive destination for
students and faculty.

Scope and Limitation:

This project will focus on assessing the digital library needs of students and faculty at St. Mary's
University. It will also make recommendations for improving the library's digital library
services. The project will use a mixed-method approach, including a survey of students and
faculty, as well as an analysis of the library's current collection of digital resources.

The project will have a number of limitations. First, it will only be able to assess the digital
library needs of students and faculty at St. Mary's University. Second, it will only be able to
make recommendations for improving the library's digital library services. Third, the project will
be limited by the time and resources available.

4
Feasibility:

This project is feasible because it is well-defined, achievable, and realistic. The project team has
the skills and experience necessary to complete the project, and the project has the support of the
library administration.

Literature Review (Prior Work):

There is a growing body of literature on the importance of digital libraries in higher education.
Studies have shown that digital libraries can improve student learning outcomes, increase
research productivity, and enhance the overall student experience.

For example, a study by the Association of College and Research Libraries found that students
who used digital libraries were more likely to graduate with a higher GPA than those who did
not. [1] Another study found that faculty who used digital libraries were more likely to publish in
peer-reviewed journals. [2] And a third study found that students who used digital libraries were
more likely to be satisfied with their overall college experience. [3]

This project will build on the existing literature on digital libraries by assessing the specific
digital library needs of students and faculty at St. Mary's University. The project will also make
recommendations for improving the library's digital library services that are tailored to the
specific needs of the university community.

In order to conduct the needs assessment, we will use a mixed-method approach that includes
both a survey and an analysis of the library's current collection of digital resources. The survey
will ask students and faculty about their digital library needs, such as the types of resources they
use, the frequency with which they use them, and their satisfaction with the library's current
digital library services. The analysis of the library's current collection of digital resources will
identify gaps in the collection and opportunities for improvement.

The findings of the needs assessment will be used to make recommendations for improving the
library's digital library services. These recommendations will be tailored to the specific needs of
students and faculty at St. Mary's University.

5
Methodology:
The methodology that will be used to conduct this project will be a mixed-method approach.
This will involve a survey of students and faculty, as well as an analysis of the library's current
collection of digital resources.
The survey will be designed to collect information about the following:

● The types of digital resources that students and faculty use

● The frequency with which students and faculty use digital resources
● The challenges that students and faculty face in accessing digital resources
● The suggestions that students and faculty have for improving the library's digital library
services

The survey will be administered to a random sample of students and faculty at St. Mary's
University.

The library's current collection of digital resources will be analyzed to identify gaps in the
collection.

The results of the survey and the analysis of the collection will be used to develop
recommendations for improving the library's digital library services.

Deliverables:

The deliverables for this project will be a report that summarizes the findings of the research, as
well as a set of recommendations for improving the library's digital library services.

The report will be written in a clear and concise style that is easy to understand. It will be well-
organized and easy to follow. The report will also be well-referenced, so that readers can learn
more about the sources of information that were used.

The recommendations in the report will be based on the findings of the research. They will be
specific, actionable, and feasible. The recommendations will also be realistic and achievable
within the library's budget and timeframe.

6
Resources (Tools):

The resources that will be required to complete this project include:

Access to the university's student and faculty population: The project team will need to survey a
random sample of students and faculty at St. Mary's University. The university will provide
access to the student and faculty email lists, which will be used to distribute the survey.

Funding to cover the costs of the survey and analysis: The project team will need funding to
cover the costs of the survey and analysis. The library has agreed to provide funding for the
survey, and the project team is currently seeking funding for the analysis.

Expertise in digital library collection development and management: The project team will need
expertise in digital library collection development and management. The library has a team of
librarians who have expertise in this area, and they will be providing support to the project team.

Survey software: The project team will need to use survey software to administer the survey.
The library has a license for a survey software package that can be used for this project.

Data analysis software: The project team will need to use data analysis software to analyze the
data collected from the survey. The library has a license for a data analysis software package
that can be used for this project.

Library management software: The project team will need to use library management software
to access the library's collection data. The library has a library management software system that
can be used for this project.

Internet access: The project team will need internet access to access the survey software, data
analysis software, and library management software. The university provides free internet access
to all students and faculty.

7
Milestones:

Date Milestone
Aug. 7, 2023 Conduct the survey of students and faculty
Aug. 7, 2023 Complete data collection
Aug. 8, 2023 Begin Analyzing the library's current collection of digital
resources
Aug. 9, 2023 Complete data analysis
Aug. 10, 2023 Begin writing report
Aug. 11, 2023 Develop the report and recommendations
Aug. 15, 2023 Submit final project proposal to supervisor
Aug. 17,2023 Present the report to the supervisor

References:

[1]Association of College and Research Libraries. (2015). Digital Libraries: A Study of Their
Impact on Student Learning Outcomes. ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee.

8
[2]Allen, Emily K., and Kimberly A. Seaman. (2017). The Digital Library Landscape in U.S.
Higher Education, 2017. Babson Survey Research Group.

[3]Jacobs, Karen E., and Emily K. Allen. (2017). The Impact of Digital Libraries on Student
Satisfaction: A Literature Review. College & Research Libraries, vol. 78, no. 6, 2017, pp. 718-
732.

Aklilu, A., and Bekele, D. (2019). The impact of digital libraries on the academic performance of
students in higher education institutions in Ethiopia. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2019.

Mekonen, D. (2021). The role of digital libraries in the teaching and learning process of higher
education institutions in Ethiopia: A case study of Debre Markos University. Library Philosophy
and Practice, 2021.

Worku, A. T., and Bekele, S. (2020). A study on the use of digital libraries by students of Jimma
University, Ethiopia. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2020.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.Mary's_University(Addis_Ababa)