Use of electronic resources by undergraduates in two selected universities in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to know the extent of use of electronic resources and identify the type of electronic resources used by undergraduates in universities in Nigeria. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The study population includes all undergraduate students in the faculty of engineering in Niger Delta University (NDU), Bayelsa State and Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study revealed that students in Niger Delta University and Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) use electronic resources very regularly. The study revealed that the undergraduate students use electronic resources such as NUC virtual library, HINARI, Ejournals, CD-ROMs, AGORA, and EbscoHost. The results also shows that students are not very satisfied with use of electronic resources as a result of slow internet connectivity and poor infrastructure. Findings from this type of study may prove useful to librarians, students, ICT units in universities. It will enable librarians to make electronic resources more accessible to students and intensify efforts to overcome the challenges.

Keywords: electronic resources, internet, information resources, undergraduates, e-materials