ABSTRACT
This study examined the Accessibility and Utilisation of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria. Eight (8) research questions were developed and eight (8) hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.5 level of significance for the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study was centered on four of the south-south states, namely; Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Edo state. The population for the study was 1401 Doctoral (PhD) and Masters of Education (M.Ed) postgraduate students from four federal Universities of the south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria, namely: University of Calabar, University of Uyo, University of Port-Harcourt and University of Benin. The sample for the study was 349 postgraduate students in the faculty of education of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria. The study employed the multi-stage sampling techniques precisely; purposive and disproportionate stratified-simple random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire titled “Accessibility and Utilisation of Open-Access Electronic Resources Questionnaire (AUOAERQ)” was used for the study. Face validity of the instrument was established by three (3) lecturers: two from department of Library and Information Science and one from Measurement and Evaluation unit of Science Education department, all from College of Education, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. The reliability of the instrument for the study was determined with a trial test on 20 postgraduate students of College of Education, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia state, which was outside the study area, but has similar characteristics with the target respondents using Cronbach Alpha statistics to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire items which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.84. The data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation to answer the research questions while t-test statistic was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed, among others that Open-Access e-resources were used for academic purpose by Postgraduate students. Also M.Ed Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South-South, Nigeria accessed and utilised Open-Access e-resources to a high extent while the PhD Postgraduate students accessed and utilised them to low extent. However, the level of satisfaction derived by both the M.Ed and PhD Postgraduate students of on the use of Open-Access e-resources were all to high extent. Challenges associated with the accessibility of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students were lack of co-operation with Librarians/Library staff; lack of e-resources search and retrieval mandated course in postgraduate curriculum; and poor advocacy of Open-Access e-resources respectively. Recommendations such as provision of adequate library ICT infrastructures in the universities for postgraduate use and stable power supply; encouragement of ownership of personal computer for postgraduate students among others were made.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables vii
List of Figures viii
Abstract ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 8
1.3 Purpose
of the Study 9
1.4 Research Questions 9
1.5 Hypotheses 10
1.6 Scope
of the Study 11
1.7 Significance of the Study 12
CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Conceptual Framework 14
2.1.1 Accessibility 14
2.1.2 Utilisation 18
2.1.3 Open-access electronic resources 20
2.1.4 E-resources use: postgraduate students satisfaction 22
2.1.5 Challenges to accessibility and
utilisation of open-access e-resources 23
2.1.6 Strategies
for enhancing accessibility and utilisation of
open-access
e-resources 26
2.1.7 Conceptual
model 38
2.2 Theoretical
Framework 40
2.2.1 Unified theory of acceptance and use of
technology (UTAUT) 40
2.3 Review of Empirical Studies 43
2.4 Summary of Literature Reviewed 53
CHAPTER 3:
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Design of the Study 55
3.2 Area of the Study 55
3.3 Population of the Study 57
3.4 Sample and Sampling Technique 58
3.5 Instrument for Data Collection 59
3.6 Validation of the Instrument 60
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument 60
3.8 Method of Data Collection 61
3.9 Method of Data Analysis 61
CHAPTER 4:
RESULTS AND DISCUSION
4.1 Results 63`
4.2 Discussion
of the Findings 78
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
of the Procedure used for the Study 84
5.2 Conclusion 88
5.3 Educational
Implication of the Study 88
5.4 Recommendations 89
5.5 Suggestions
for Further Study 90
5.6 Limitations of the Study 91
References 92
Appendices 100
LIST OF TABLES
4.1 Mean and
standard deviation of the respondents on the
open-access
e-resources used for academic purpose by
Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South
South,
Nigeria. 63
.
4.2 T-test
Analysis of the mean ratings of M.Ed
and Ph.D
students on open-access
e-resources used for academic
purposes . 64
4.3 Mean and standard deviation
of the responses of respondents
on the extent of
accessibility of open-access electronic-resources
by postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South South,
Nigeria. 65
4.4 T-test analysis of the mean
Ratings of M.Ed and PhD students
on the extent to
accessibility to Open-access e-resources by
Postgraduate students of
Federal Universities in South South,
Nigeria. 66
4.5 Mean and standard deviation
of the Respondents on the extent
of
utilisation of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate
students of
Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria. 66
4.6 T-test analysis of the mean
ratings of M.Ed and PhD students
on the extent of utilisation of open-Access e-resources by
Postgraduate students of
Federal Universities in South South,
Nigeria. 67
4.7 Mean and standard deviation
of the Respondents on the level
of satisfaction derived by the use of Open-Access e-resources
by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South
South, Nigeria. 68
4.8 T-test analysis of the mean
ratings of M.Ed and PhD students
on the level of
satisfaction derived by postgraduate students
from the use of open-access e-resources of Federal
Universities
in South South, Nigeria. 69
4.9 Mean and standard deviation
of the respondents on the
challenges
associated with the accessibility of open-access
e-resources by
postgraduate students of Federal Universities
in South South, Nigeria. 70
4.10 T-test analysis of M.Ed and PhD students on the challenges
associated
with accessibility
to open-access e-resources by
Postgraduate students of
Federal Universities in South South,
Nigeria. 71
4.11 Mean and standard deviation of
the respondents on the
challenges
associated with the utilisation of open-access
e-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities
in South-South, Nigeria. 71
4.12 T-test analysis of the mean
ratings of M.Ed and PhD students
on
the challenges associated with utilisation of open-access
e-resources by
postgraduate students of Federal Universities
in South South, Nigeria. 72
4.13 Mean and standard deviation of
the respondents on strategies
To be adopted to
enhance accessibility of open-access
e-resources by
postgraduate students of Federal Universities
in South South, Nigeria. 73
4.14 T-test analysis of the mean
ratings of M.Ed and PhD students
on the strategies
adopted to enhance accessibility to Open-Access
e-resources
by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in
South South,
Nigeria. 73
4.15 Mean and standard deviation of
the respondents on strategies
can be adopted to
enhance utilisation of open-access
e-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities
in South South., Nigeria. 74
4.16 T-test analysis of the mean
responses of M.Ed and PhD students
on the strategies
adopted to enhance utilisation of open-access
e-resources by
postgraduate students of Federal Universities in
South South,
Nigeria. 75
LIST OF FIGURES
2.1 A Synthesis of two concepts of access to information from
ottman 16
2.2 An
Illustration of open-access explained from renkema 22
2.3 A Conceptual model for the study 39
2.4: UTAUT
Model 42
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF
THE STUDY
It is no more new that knowledge is in the digital age. Today's
world describes students of this era as digital native - born into a world where digital technologies and the internet are
a normal part of everyday life digital (Thomas, 2011). This is because a
large percentage of what humans do in this era has to directly or indirectly,
do with one form of electronic device or another, such as phones, computers,
the internet etc. The productions and publication of information resources
create electronic versions long before the print publication comes to life. The
21st century progression into the information age has brought about information
explosion and information overload. Also the advancement of ICT helped to
create a massive growth in the rate of electronic publications. The speed of
information generation requires an equal or high medium of information
processing, through which libraries can acquire the information resources and
make them available to the users.
Print
materials that had previously dominated the educational industry are currently
being overturned by electronic resources as technological advancement has included
digitisation of prints. Today's information publishing world, with present
technologies, promulgates electronic publication, making it a sort for format,
compared to print. According to Eje and Dushu (2018), the trend worldwide has
proved that information provision and delivery had shifted from the traditional
models to electronic and web-based formats. Hence traditional collections are
giving way to if not total but at least hybrid collections.This was affirmed by
Bjork and Solomon (2012), stating that electronic publishing has become the
dominant distribution channel for scholarly publications. Libraries currently
secure license of access to remote electronic collections that they do not
have. Modern libraries’collections now include accesspoints such as URLs that
links the licensed resources.Various institutions such as university libraries,
institutions of national and international importance, specialised organisations,
professional societies and associations as stated by Chandra (2002) are deeply
engaged to build e-resources in their respective areas, with the sole objective
to provide instant and comprehensive access to their stakeholders. These
resources, he termed as e-collection, possess major features listed as; Globalised
reach; Users can use the same e-resources at the same time, in any place; Easily
copied, stored and disseminated; Easy to revise, manipulate and merge; Less
bulky than paper; Speedy delivery; Add value to services; The e-collections
save user’s time; Generate satisfaction among users; Buying and selling of
e-collections is available on www; Encourage interaction with remote users;Monitoring
of on-line users; and E-resources collections promote research and development
(R&D) effectively and efficiently.
Gallas cited in Salua and Gama (2015),
said the role of libraries has evolved significantly over the past few decades
from a focus on service based on physics repositories to a focus on
facilitating access to electronic resources. This means that libraries are
moving towards access instead of rights, which means they will relinquish the
power that ownership has given them in the past. The advancement of ICT has
created a paradigm shift in libraries. Tyckoson
as cited in Ankrah and Atuase (2018), stated that
libraries and information centers may stop operating and possibly shut down if
they fail to comply with appropriate information technologies in their
services, and are essentially ICT positioned to provide access to electronic
resources (e-resources). .
According
to Johnson et al (2012) "electronic resources" referred to resources
that require computer access via personal computer, mainframe or portable
mobile devices. They can be accessed remotely via the Internet or internally,
including e-magazines, e-books, e-pictures and e-audio / visual resources.
Sambo, Ejitagha, and Aworo (2016)
considered electronic resources to be electronic representations of
information. They are available in a variety of formats such as e-books,
digital libraries, online journalism, online testing and e-learning authors.
E-resources may include e-journals, e-discussions, e-news, databases, email and
online chat. Chandra (2002) noted that there are different types of e-resources
and listed the following as the main types of e-resources. They are:
e-magazines, e-books, e-groups, search engines, e-lists, web rings, library
networks, databases, library websites, frequently asked questions (FAQs),
digital archives, bulletin boards, virtual conferences, Web exhibitions and
virtual help desks. Although there are many formats that cover all information
resources, electronicresources are seen here as electronic representation of
information in various forms, and they can be accessed using a technical device
and the Internet.
The
growth of e-publishing and the promulgation of Open knowledge, called for an
open sources for e-resources distribution. Originally considered a regular
alternative to publishing, the open-access movement has become possible in the
struggle to control the divisions of information, knowledge and research in the
current knowledge-based economy. Open-access refers to research publications
that are distributed online and for free or with the addition of a Creative
Commons license to promote other non-restrictions and reuse.The open-access
philosophy has created access to more publishing opportunities and scholarly
content around the world by facilitating access to information between
industrialized and less industrialized countries (Nosakhere & Abdelwahid,
2014). In support of the open access movement, Ola (2014) argued that knowledge
is fundamental to the development of the knowledge community, and the currency
for this development is access to information and the ability to use, reuse and
share it - the core principles of the open access movement. According to Suber
(2012), open-access literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of
most copyright and licensing restrictions. These are made possible by the
Internet and with the consent of the author or copyright holder. Today,
open-access has many variations on their release models. They include the
following:
Gold
Open Access - The publication of an intellectual article in an open access
journal, usually reviewed by peers and funded by article publishing fees.
Green
Open Access - The archiving of a scholarly publication for public access in a
repository other than that of the publisher, e.g. an Institutional Repository
(IR) or discipline-related repository service. Hybrid Journal - Journal where
some articles are available in open access, while other content is
subscription-based. E.g. BioMed Journals (BMJ).
Mandate
(Open Access) - The need for a company, financial institution or government
agency to publish research results should be available in some form of open
access (green or gold). Orders may dictate additional requirements related to
an acceptable reuse license.
Embargo
Open Access - A requirement by the publisher of record where in a green
repository (Archive Policy) deposit must be delayed for some period following
the official publication.
Institutional
Repository (IR) Open Access – An information content that contains, various
things and copies of the scholarly output of authors. Repositories can be
institutional based, material based, fraud based or national. Archives can hold
published, unpublished articles, presentations, datasets and/or metadata about
them.
Article
Publishing Fee (APC) - The fee paid to the publisher to make an article
available in open access - usually by the author, author or financial
institution. The cost of production is transferred from the subscriber to the
author.
Open-access
content, co-reviewed research articles, dissertations and research articles,
research data, government data source code, conference presentations (texts,
slides, audio, video) intelligent monographs, textbooks, novels, stories,
Drama, Poetry Newspapers, Archives and Manuscripts (Artwork, Photographs,
Drawings, Drawings), Teaching and Learning Materials (Open Education Resources
and Open Courses) and Digitized Printing are still subject to public copyright
(Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar Library, 2017). All open-access
materials are used by researchers in educational libraries in Africa.
Establishment of Institutional Repositories (IRs) at universities in Africa for
the preservation of African cultural heritage, publication of articles and
other research is the main goal of academic librarians in African institutions.
However, university administrators and government financiers must be committed
to the value of the Internet and the right of all citizens to access
information (Nosakhere & Abdelwahid, 2014). Essentially, Open-Access
e-resources are free and unrestricted online availability of information
resources made possible by the convergence of the tradition of scholarly
publishing and the technology of the Internet. Open-Access resources are
classed thus by accessibility to all via the required device and Internet.
Jaeger
and Burnett (2005) defined access as, the presence of a robust system through
which information is made available to citizens and others. The system is
perceived to be wholistic, as it encompasses physical, intellectual, and social
components that avail students the needed information resources. Accessibility
can be viewed as the abilities or attributes of students to have access and
utilise Open-Access e-resources. Student's accessibility to academic libraries
e-resources is of paramount interest to libraries and parent institutions and cannot
be over emphasised. Libraries receive access to e-resources through many
different models such as: purchase directly through the publisher or through a
subscription agent, license access that is covered be Creative Commons license
(to promote reuse) to remote electronic collections via the internet with
interactive URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) pointing to the licensed items and
search engines to the world wild web (www). These libraries provide remote
access and direct access of the e-resources to their students. Remote access
e-resources refer to the use of electronic resources via computer networks.
Direct Access e-resources refers to the use of electronic resources via
physical carriers (e.g., discs/disks, cassettes, cartridges, flash) designed to
be inserted into a computerized device or its auxiliary equipment (Library of
Congress, 2016). Students could access remotely via the Internet using library
owned or personal devices such as web interactive board, desktop, laptop,
palmtop and mobile phones. These accesses often require access login of
username and password. Akobundu (2008) stated that accessing Library resources
refers to finding and retrieving information from storage medium. These
accesses help the postgraduate student to use updated information literature as
soon as it is published on the Internet and promote research and learning.
Utilisation
of e-resources is essential to the acquisition of information resources in
academic libraries. In fact, throughout history, the use of information
resources has been of great interest to libraries and librarians. The technical
services in information processing are to ensure that ultimately the
information contents are utilised, directly or indirectly. Ntui and Udah (2015)
consider the use of information as a practical and optimal utilization of
library resources that a user can identify and acquire in order to solve a
problem or to achieve a specific goal. In line with this view, utilisation can
be said to be an effective use of e-resource for teaching, learning and
research in order to reap the optimal benefits. Libraries have been established
to support teaching, learning and research, as such; access to her e-resources
is for the utilisation of the postgraduate student’s academic pursuit.
Utilisation of e-resources is largely dependent on the accessibility of such
resources.
The
paradigm shift experienced in the academia with the advent of ICT did not elude
postgraduate students in their studies. Postgraduate students are students
engaged in advance study in any given field beyond first degree. Among the
objectives of academic libraries is to support teaching, learning and research.
Sambo, et al (2016) maintained that
the quality of teaching, learning and research in any academic or research
institution depends, to a large extent, on its library's information resources
and services. Postgraduate studies curricula are mainly centered on
research.The students are involve in a lot of independent as well as group
research works, which are facilitated by the e-resources provision and access
of academic libraries. Research,which engage students and researchers to
formally take an in-depth or critical look at issues, ideas, the environment or
situations for possible clarity, insights or solutions to existing or possible
issues, require postgraduate students to access, utilise and in most cases
review extensively Open-Access e-resources to ensure a detailed acceptable
research study that will facilitate the award of the expected degree.
For
academic excellence, the postgraduate students are expected to maximally
utilise the wealth of information resources that Open-Access e-resources offer.
The use of Open-Access e-resources offer postgraduates an ocean of information
resources, They provide valuable information free of charge to the users, an
archive of materials dating back some years, index of previously published
articles related to the new item offer a power search option, enabling users to
focus their searches more precisely and they provide access to knowledge that
is readily available in the free information environment, mainly newspaper and
journal articles. In addition, pre-formatted collections of resources, in
particular company profiles and statistical data are provided (Ntakumba, 2002).
Today's academic libraries are exploiting the current technological trend and
expectation of provision and access to Open-Access e-resources. The existence of Open-Access e-resources would
technically provide students with easy and all round access to these
e-resources for learning and research. But observable complaints and challenges
expressed by students prompted concerns into postgraduate access and use of
these e-resources. Notable researchers have shown various studies on
e-resources (Chandra, 2002; Salau & Gama, 2015; Ankrah & Atuase, 2018)
but this study takes a look at how the Open-Access e-resources are accessed and
utilised by the students.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Application
of information technology in libraries has enhanced the publication of
information resources in various formats ranging from print to e-resources. This
has also brought about a paradigm shift from acquisition of only print
resources to subscription and acquisition of open content licenses/resources of
electronic resources to enhance availability in libraries. In an effort to
boost teaching, learning and research, as well as ensure that libraries meet
the current standard and demand for information resources in the information
age, libraries create access to Fee-Based and Open-Access e-resources. While
the Fee-Based resources areonly accessible on subscription, the Open-Access
e-resources are web based resources that are accessed free of charge. These
resources are accessible through the internet, computers and Personal Device
Assistant (PDA) such as smart-phone and laptops. The National Universities Commission
(NUC) also has included E-library; accessibility and subscription to
e-resources, as one of the major criteria that libraries must meet for
accreditation of academic programmes in any University. In line with the
aforementioned, and not to be limited by the economics of subscription to
e-resources, libraries now adopt Open-Access e-resources to boost their
collections. Accessibility and utilisation of Open-Access e-resources promotes
teaching, learning and research.
However,
Tiemo (2016) observed that though library users have laptops and smart-phones
connected to the internet, yet they complain of non-accessibility and
consequently non-utilisation of e-resources for their research work. Likewise
the researcher, from work experience has observed postgraduate students lament
the lack of accessibility and inability to use e-resources. With the
proliferation of e-resources on the Internet, this implies that there are
hindrances to the access and utilisation of Open-Access e-resources. In light
of the above, it becomes imperative to empirically examine the accessibility
and utilisation of the Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students of
Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of this study was to examine the accessibility and utilisation of
Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in
South South, Nigeria. The study specifically:
1. Identified the Open-Access
e-resources used for academic purpose by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
2. Examined
the extent of accessibility to Open-access e-resources to Postgraduate students
of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
3. Examined
the extent of utilisation of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students
of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
4. Determined
the level of satisfaction derived from the use of Open-Access
e-resources
by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
5. Identified
the challenges associated with accessibility to Open-Access
e-resources
by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
6. Identified
the challenges associated with the utilisation of Open-Access
e-resources
by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria;
7. Identified
strategies to enhance accessibility to Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal
Universities in South South, Nigeria; and
8. Identified
the strategies to enhance utilisation of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal
Universities in South South, Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The
accompanying research questions were put up for the study.
1. What are the Open access e-resources used for academic purpose by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South
South, Nigeria?
2.
What is the extent of accessibility of Open-Access
electronic-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria?
3.
What is the extent of utilisation Open-Access
electronic-resources by Post-graduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria?
4.
What level of satisfaction is derived from the use of Open-Access e-resources by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South
South, Nigeria?
5.
What are the challenges associated with the accessibility of Open-Access
e-resources by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South
South, Nigeria?
6.
What are the challenges associated with the utilisation of Open-Access
e-resources by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria?
7.
What strategies can be adopted to enhance accessibility of
Open-Access
e-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria?
8.
What strategies can be adopted to enhance utilisation of
Open-Access
e-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
The
accompanying hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level to guide
the study.
H01-There
is no significant difference between the mean responses of M.Ed and PhD students on Open-Access
e-resources used for academic purposes.
H02 - There
is no significant difference between the mean responses of M.Ed and PhD students
on the extent to accessibility to Open-access e-resources by Postgraduate
students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria.
H03
- There is no significant difference between
the mean responses of M.Ed and PhD
studentson
the extent of utilisation of Open-Access e-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria.
H04 - There is no
significant differencebetween the mean responses of M.Ed and PhD students
on the level of satisfaction derived by postgraduate students from the use of Open-Access e-resources of Federal
Universities in South South, Nigeria.
H05
- There is no significant difference between the mean responses ofM.Ed and
PhD students
on the challenges associated with accessibility
to Open-access
e-resources by Postgraduate students
of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria.
H06
- There is no significant differencebetween the mean
responses of M.Ed and PhD students on
the challenges associated with utilisation of
Open-access e-resources by Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in
South South, Nigeria.
H07
- There is no significant difference between the mean
responses of M.Ed and
PhD students
on the strategies adopted to enhance accessibility to Open-accesse-resources by
Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in
South South, Nigeria.
H08 - There
is no significant difference between the mean responses ofM.Ed and
PhD
studentson the strategies adopted to enhance
utilisation of Open-access
e-resources by Postgraduate students
of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria.
1.6 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The
intent of this study is to examine the accessibility and utilisation of
Open-access e-resources by post-graduate students of Federal Universities in
South South, Nigeria. The study is centered on the postgraduate students of the
Faculty of Education in Federal Universities of South South, Nigeria, which serves
as the criteria for being selected for the study. Four (4) universities met the
criteria, they are; University of Calabar, Cross River state, University of
Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers state and University
of Benin, Edo state.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
findings of this study will be beneficial to the University management, library
management, librarians, lecturers, students and library and information
profession. The university management is saddled with the responsibilities of
funding and facilitating the provision of technological infrastructure to
ensure Open-Access e-resources accessibility in the institution. When the
findings of the study is made known, it will enable the university management
to know how the e-resources they provide access to, are being utilised. They
will also help to evaluate the ICT infrastructure provided for the
accessibility of Open-Access e-resources and make management decision for or
against such facilities as the need arises.
The
findings of this study when made known will enable library management as well
as the E-resources librarians that manage the e-resources to ascertain if the
postgraduate students have adequate access and if they utilise the Open-Access
e-resources. And if not, the findings will also reveal the challenges hindering
access and utilisation of Open-Access e-resources and effort could be made to
rectify them.
The
findings of this study when made known, lecturers will derive the benefit of
the knowledge of Open-Access e-resources made accessible by the University
libraries to their post-graduate students and the university community and in
turn educate their students appropriately. Postgraduate students and other
students will benefit from the knowledge of Open-access e-resources and improve
on their access and utilisation of such resources.
This
study, when made known will serve as a contribution to the field of Library and
Information Science. It will guide students of Library and Information Science
embarking on related research studies. Furthermore, the study will add to the
existing literature in the field of Library and Information Science especially
relating to accessibility and utilisation of the Open- Access e-resources in
federal universities in South South, Nigeria.
All
these would be done when the study is published in academic journal or oral
discussion engagement, as well as through formal or informal disseminations during
training and seminars.
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