Use of electronic information resources among the undergraduate students in academic libraries in a recessed economy

Abstract

The study aimed at finding out the use of electronic information resources among  undergraduate students in the Federal University of Technology, Akure. The study is based on descriptive survey design method and the population consists of 16,962 undergraduate students across different schools at the Federal University of  Technology. Questionnaire was designed to gather relevant information for the study. A total of 250 questionnaires were administered to the selected sample. Frequency counts and simple percentages were used to analyze the data for the research question. The study established the relevant of electronic information resources to the undergraduate students as majority of the respondent indicated their awareness of electronic information resources in the library; electronic information resources is highly used to support their research work and it also promoted their learning  abilities and enhanced the development of research work .it was also indicated that undergraduate frequently use electronic information resources for research. The study further established some challenges that mitigate the use of electronic  information resources in the institution, among them are poor internet connectivity, lack of technical knowledge and erratic power supply. It was recommended that the management should make available alternative power supply, this will enable the students to enjoy library services. The internet server should also be upgraded so as to enable easy accessibility, and there is need for periodic training for library users on how to access and be conversant with the available electronic information resources in the Library.

Keywords: Electronic, Information, Resources, Academic, Libraries, Recession, Economy