Comparative analysis of availability and awareness of electronic information resources by undergraduate students in public and private university libraries in South-South, Nigeria

Abstract

This study comparatively examined the availability and awareness of electronic information resources by undergraduate students in  public and private university libraries in South-South, Nigeria. It adopted a comparative research design, with a population of 8,563  undergraduate students, comprising 6,039 from three public universities and 2,524 from three private universities. The sample of study  was 428 undergraduate students selected with the use of simple and proportionate stratified random sampling techniques, which  represented 5% of the study population. Data for the study was collected using self-structured questionnaire, which was duly validated by  three experts, and subjected a reliability test using Cronbach Alpha formula, which yielded a reliability coefficient index of 0.79. The  data collection process yielded a response rate of 95% response rate, from 405 successfully completed and returned copies of the  questionnaire. The data collected were analysed quantitatively using mean scores and standard deviations to answer the research  questions, while the two (2) hypotheses were tested using t-test analysis technique at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that electronic information resources are more available in private university libraries than public university libraries in South-South Nigeria. It  also indicated that the level of awareness of electronic information resources by undergraduate students in both public and private  universities was highly encouraging. It found that availability and awareness of electronic information resources by undergraduate  students in both public and private university libraries are hampered by inadequate competent IT resource persons, poor funding of  university libraries, high cost of subscription to e-resources, library staff indifference attitude in assisting undergraduate students, poor  user education/library orientation, lack of advanced searching skills, etc. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among  other measures, that management of both public and private universities should improve the funding of university libraries to enhance  subscription to more relevant electronic information resources, prioritize employment of highly IT competent and savvy staff in order to   mprove upon availability and provision of electronic information resources in public and private university libraries, embrace collaborative subscription of electronic information resources, and improve user education/library orientation programmes through  quality planning and execution in order to create better awareness of available electronic information resources to undergraduate  students.