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CHAPTER – II

REVIEW OF RELATED

LITERATURE

49

The important aspect of investigation is the study of relevant literature that

has already been published. It provides an insight to the investigator about the

research that has already been published on the topic and its allied areas. It is

a theoretical framework that provides basis for the research study. The

purview of present study pertains to use of digital information resources and

services in the technical institutes. The investigator of the present study has

made an effort to review some important studies on the use of digital

resources (e-resources) and services. The literature related to various studies

reviewed by the investigator is discussed below:

Kwadzo (2015) conducted a study on Awareness and Usage of Electronic

Databases by Geography and Resource Development Information Studies

Graduate Students in the University of Ghana in which it was revealed that

96.9% students were aware of electronic databases. The majority of students

were aware of JSTOR, Ebscohost, Emerald and Science Direct databases and

were making use of these databases for their studies and research. The study

revealed that majority of students (68.8%) mentioned that their source of

knowledge was their lecturers whereas 62.5% mentioned that they came to

know about e-databases from Library website. The majority of respondents

(87.5%) were satisfied with the available electronic databases. The students

felt that required information can easily be accessed using electronic

databases.

Nwabueze and Urhiewhu (2015) conducted a study on Availability and Use

of Digital Information Resources by Undergraduates of University in Delta

and Edo States, Nigeria. The study revealed that majority of digital

information resources is available in the university libraries in Delta and Edo

States. The study further revealed that the problems like epileptic power

supply, inadequate number of computers, inadequate bandwidth, network

problems, lack of skills to access the digital information resources and lack of

formal training on internet use made the low use of digital information

resources in all the university libraries.

50

Priyadarshini, Jankiraman and Subramaniam (2015) conducted a survey

to find the Awareness in usage of E-resources among users at Agricultural

College and Research Institute, Madurai: A Study. The findings revealed that

majority of users were aware of available e-resources and the electronic

resources subscribed by the library were used effectively. The study revealed

that 80.6% Postgraduate students and 93.3% Faculty members were making

use of freely available e-resources through internet using search engines

whereas 70% Ph.D. scholars preferred the use of e-journals. The findings of

the study also revealed that digital resources available through CeRA, e-

books, springer link, CABI, Wiley and Black, resources subscribed by the

library were widely used by the respondents.

Roopa and Krishnamurthy (2015) conducted a study on Analysis of Digital

Library Services at Engineering Colleges in Karnataka: A Study. The study

revealed that libraries were subscribing more e-journals as compared to e-

books. The majority of 97.3% librarians had supported and encouraged the

users to use online lecture notes. The institutional repository facility had been

provided by 57.3% libraries. For the maximum utilization of digital

information resources the information search service had been provided by

the libraries. However online chat service, subject portals service, frequently

asked questions and instant messaging service had been provided by

minimum number of institutions.

Singh and Khan (2015) conducted a study on User' Attitude towards

Electronic Resources in IIT Libraries: An Evaluative Study. The study

revealed that majority of users visited the libraries web sites and used the

library resources and services. The study further revealed that the users

preferred the electronic format as compared to print format. The study

revealed that e-resources were preferred by the users because these resources

are easy to access, relevant and more information is retrieved and save the

time. The most of the users preferred to use search engines and library portals

to search the information. The majority of Undergraduate and Postgraduate

51

users preferred to use blogs, social networking sites, e-mail and current

journals while the Research Scholars and Faculty preferred to access back

volumes and current issues of e-journals and e-theses.

Ajayi, Shorunke and Aboyade (2014) conducted a survey to find the

Influence of Electronic Resources Use on Students’ Reading Culture in

Nigerian universities. The study revealed that the most commonly used

electronic resources amongst the students included e-book, e-journal, and e-

news. 88.68% respondents used the electronic resources very frequently and

90.57% respondents agreed that electronic resources improved their reading

habits. 71.17% respondents agreed that they would like to prefer electronic

resources to printed resources. The poor internet connectivity felt by 73.11%

respondents is the major hindrance in effective use of electronic resources

whereas 46.69% respondents considered that inadequate skill to use e-

resources is the major hindrance to make optimum and effective use of

electronic resources in the library.

Bhat and Mudhol (2014) studied the knowledge and use of Digital

Resources by Medical College Students of Govt. Medical College Jammu.

The findings showed that 55.63% of the respondents were familiar with the

digital resources and used e-mails (39.37%) and internet (34.38%) on daily

basis. The study revealed that 71.25% respondents’ used digital resources to

collect subject specific information and 49.37% respondents agreed that

adequate information can be obtained using digital resources. The majority of

respondents used the digital resources for communication, to collect

information on specific subject, for research and to update their knowledge.

But the respondents found it difficult to access resources because of lack of

training and time.

Garg and Tamrakar (2014) in their study on Utilization of Electronic

Resources by Postgraduate Students, Research Scholars and Faculty members

of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur depicted that e-journals were

preferred by the respondents as compared to other resources. The majority of

52

users (63.10%) showed the awareness of e-journals and databases available in

the library on the subjects of their study/ research. 45.15% of the respondents

mentioned that they get the required information from the e-journals. 57.28%

respondents mentioned that they get benefited from the e- alert service

provided by the library on regular basis. The 52.66% respondents mentioned

that the library asked them their information requirements before selecting the

resources for the library. 40.53% of the respondents agreed that the e-services

provided by the library helped in study and research.

Kumar and Reddy (2014) conducted a survey to find out the Use of E-

Journals by the Research Scholars of Sri Venkateswara University, Andhra

University and University of Hyderabad. The study showed that 73.03%

research scholars used e-journals for their research work. The majority of

respondents, i.e. 64.52%, preferred the use of e-journals for research work but

54.61% respondents still considered print journals as more important as

compared to e-journals. The majority of research scholars (73.64%) were

satisfied with the search engines. The respondents felt that lack of familiarity

with searching e-journals and slow internet connectivity are the major

problems in accessing the e-journals. The majority of research scholars still

felt that the required information is more available in print journals as

compared to e-journals.

Msagati (2014) conducted a study on Use of E-Journals by members of

Academic Staff of the Dar es Salaam University College of Education

(DUCE). The study revealed that 94.4% respondents were interested in using

scholarly electronic journals, 86.2% respondents mentioned that they used

search engines on daily basis to search the required information. The majority

of respondent (i.e. 89.7%) mentioned that the purpose of using e-journals is

for writing research proposal. The respondents agreed that lack of training is

the major hindrance in effective utilization of e-journals.

Padma et.al. (2014) conducted a case study of two engineering colleges of

Tamil Nadu to find the Awareness and Use of Electronic Resources by the

53

Engineering Students. The findings revealed that 86.67% of the respondents

were aware of the electronic resources and 81.33% of the respondents used

the electronic resources. 39.34% respondents preferred the use of E-journals.

32.79% of the respondents used the electronic resources regularly. 43.33% of

the respondents come to know about resources from friends. 35.33% of the

respondents use the electronic resources for research work. 29.33% of the

respondents use the electronic resources to save the time. 34.67% of the

respondents found that lack of facilities is the problem faced by them in using

e-resources. 23.33% of the respondents found use of e-resources save the

time. 54.67% of the respondents found that electronic resources are important.

46.67% of the respondents were satisfied with the use of electronic resources.

Rani and Chinnasamy (2014) in their study on Users Satisfaction of E-

Resources and Services in Self-financing Colleges found that only 37.5%

users made use of e-resources for study purpose, 30.6% users made use of

resources to improve teaching abilities and only 11.1% respondents used

resources for research work. The respondents opined about use of digital

library are moderate whereas as far as ICT infrastructure facilities are

concerned they opined good. The majority of students preferred to use OPAC,

bibliographic data, online searches and full text resources.

Sivathaasan, Murugathas and Chandrasekar (2014) conducted a survey on

medical students and academic staff to identify the Impact of Usage of E-

Resources on Academic Teachers. The findings revealed that attitude of

academic staff and students is different in the use of electronic information

resources whereas gender wise and age group wise there is no difference in

the attitude of respondents towards the use of electronic information

resources.

Tyagi (2014) in the article Analytical Study of Usage of Electronic

Information Resources at Pharmacopoeial Libraries in India stated that

electronic information resources are the widely accepted means of

information resources in the present information society. The scientists of the

54

Pharmacopoeial libraries considered that the latest comprehensive and up to

date information which is essential to carry out research can only be obtained

using electronic information resources. The scientists of these libraries

preferred the use of subject topical websites, e-journals, online databases, e-

monographs, CD-ROM databases and standards. The study showed that

majority of scientists of these libraries considered electronic information

resources as better substitute to get the updated information than printed

material.

Adeniran (2013) conducted a study Usage of Electronic Resources by

Undergraduates at the Redmeer’s University Nigeria. The findings of the

study revealed that majority of students were aware of various electronic

resources available in the university. The study further depicted that the

majority of respondents made use of available resources for assignments,

research, current awareness, e-mail and news. The respondents were aware of

the electronic resources but still the usage of these resources was low because

of retrieval of irrelevant information, non-availability of required material,

slow speed of internet and lack of search skills. The results depicted that

80.9% respondents agreed that electronic resources had an effect on their

academic performance.

Amusa, Salman and Ajani (2013) in their article Knowledge and Use of

Electronic Information Resources by Academics in Colleges of Animal

Health, Animal Production and Veterinary Medicine in Nigeria concluded

that 97% of the respondents made use of computer frequently and 77% of the

users considered that computer knowledge and skill had significant effect on

use of electronic resources. The findings depicted that respondents made use

of electronic resources mainly for professional activities, research and

teaching activities. The inadequate knowledge of e- resources is the major

constraint in the use of electronic resources.

Ayele and Sreenivasrao (2013) in their study A case Study of Acceptance

and Use of Electronic Library Services in University Based on SO-UTAUT

55

Model concluded that the end users had the positive inclination towards the

acceptance and usage of electronic library services. The respondents were

aware of existence of e-library resources and had enough skills to make use of

e-library resources and services.

Dange, Savitha, Jogan, and Veenakumari (2013) conducted a study on

Awareness and Usage of Digital Information Sources and Services by PG

students of Kuvempu University. The study depicted that students had low

level of awareness and usage of digital information sources whereas the

respondents had average level of awareness and usage of digital information

services. The study further depicted that the final year Postgraduates had more

awareness and usage of digital information resources as compared to previous

year students. As far as digital information services are concerned the findings

depicted that there is no difference in awareness and usage between final year

and previous years Post Graduate students.

Gakibaya, Ikojo-Odongo and Okello-Obura (2013) conducted a survey on

Electronic Information Resources Utilization in Students of Mbarara

University Library. The study depicted that majority of respondents were

aware of electronic information resources and mentioned that electronic

information resources provide more information than print formats. The study

also revealed that 92% respondents were aware of Electronic information

resources; 77% uses the e-resources in the University Library and 57.5%

respondents considered that Electronic Information Resources provide a wider

range of information.

Jotwani (2013) conducted a study on Library Resources and Services in

Indian Institute of Technology. The study revealed that the libraries had

adopted web 2.0 to technique to made home page and Web OPAC more

interactive. The study revealed that DSpace software had been used by the

libraries of IIT Bombay, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Roorkee libraries to create

institutional repository whereas IIT Delhi had used e-print software for

creating institutional repository.

56

Maharana, Das and Pati (2013) in their study on Evaluating the Awareness

and Usage of UGC-INFONET Digital Consortium by the Faculty Members:

A Case Study of Odisha University concluded that faculty members had

enough skills to operate computers to access the information over the internet

but the majority of respondents accessed the UGC-INFONET resources thrice

a week only spending 6-8 hours per week. The findings of the study further

revealed that the purpose of professors and readers to use Digital Library

Consortium is for publications, to write articles for conferences and seminars,

to guide research scholars whereas the lecturers made use of these resources

for self-improvement, publications and teaching. The major problems

encountered by the respondents were low internet bandwidth, poor

infrastructure and frequent power failure.

Sivathaasan and Velnampy (2013) conducted a study to find out the Effect

of Usage of E-Resources on Academic Performance of University Teachers.

The study indicated that usage of e-resources had a strong positive association

with academic performance of university teachers. The study revealed that the

use of e-resources increased with the increase of academic performance.

Dhanvandan, Essmail and Nagarajan (2012) in his article Use of Electronic

Resources at Krishnasamy College of Engineering & Technology Library

Cuddalore found that majority of students were leading users of e-resources.

The majority of 66% respondents were satisfied with the available e-

resources. The respondents had given more importance to electronic resources

as compared to print documents. The demand for e-resources in the specific

subject is increasing with the availability of resources through internet with

high speed connectivity. The major problem encountered by the users was

downloading speed. 31% of the respondents found that the speed of

downloading from internet is very slow.

Habiba and Chowdhury (2012) conducted a questionnaire based survey to

find the Usage of Electronic Resources and its Impact on Dhaka University

57

Library users. The findings revealed that 58% of the users used internet

frequently; 52% of the users used search engine to find relevant electronic

resources on the internet; 54% users made use of electronic resources for

learning purpose; 56% users preferred electronic resources for up to date

information as compared to other features and 58% of the users were satisfied

with the available electronic resources. The major constraints in effective

utilization of electronic resources as mentioned by the respondents are the

limited access to computers.

Owolabi and others (2012) conducted a survey to find the Use of Electronic

Information Sources by the Faculty Members in Nigerian Universities. The

findings of the study revealed that majorities of teachers always made use of

electronic information sources for the research purpose. The most preferred

electronic information source as mentioned by the respondents is Internet as

compared to other Electronic Information Sources, i.e., CD-ROM, Databases

and OPAC. The findings revealed that majority of respondents use the

electronic information sources in the office. The low band width is the major

constraint in accessing the electronic information sources.

Thanuskodi (2012) conducted a study on the Use of E-Resources by the

Students, Research Scholars and Faculty of Arts in the Annamalai University.

The findings depicted that 87.77% of users were aware about the availability

of e-resources. The result revealed that 47.78 % of users preferred to access

electronic version only. The study revealed that majority of users accessed the

e-resources either from library web site or from publisher’s web site. The

purpose of using e-resources as responded by the majority of users includes

writing papers, study course work and research. The Central Library and

Departmental Library are the preferred locations by the respondents to use

electronic resources. The users responded that there are less number of e-

resources available in the subject of interest.

Bhatia (2011) conducted a survey to find out the Usage of E-Resources and

Services by the Users of Degree College Libraries in Chandigarh. The

58

findings revealed that majority of users had good knowledge of IT and E-

resources. The e-books were the preferred e-resource responded by 47.27%

and 25.84% of the respondents used e-books frequently. The main purpose of

accessing e-resources was to keep up to date on subject of interests and

knowledge growth. The major problems faced by the respondents include lack

of IT skills and limited access to computers. 71.43% respondents mentioned

that they required more training for the optimum utilization of e-resources.

Ghosh and Panda (2011) in their article Automated Serials Control at the

Indian Institutes of Technology: An Overview stated that the out of seven

IITs, five IITs are using LibSys whereas Virtua and Troodan library

management software is used the by rest of the libraries for the serial control.

Virtua is the most comprehensive library software as it supports 81% of the

attributes listed for serial control whereas LibSys and Troodan scored 51%

and 30% respectively. The study revealed that Virtua was developed by an

ISO certified company and covered most of the essential attributes of an

automated serials control.

Gupta (2011) conducted a survey to analyse the Use of Electronic Journals

from INFONET by the Faculty and Researchers of Kurukshetra University,

Kurukshetra, using questionnaire method. The results of the study revealed

that faculty and researchers prefer the use of e-journals as compared to print

journals. The study further revealed that more than 93% faculty and

researchers are aware about the e-journals in their respective subjects. The

study showed that approx. 50% users use e-journals daily and 40% of the

users use weekly. More than 50% users found that information can easily be

searchable and easy to download while using e-journals. More than 96% users

accessed those e-journals that were freely available on the internet. The study

also revealed that faculty as well as researchers depend more on open source

e-journals rather than subscribed e-journals.

Krishnamurthy and Kemparaju (2011) conducted a case study on

Institutional Repositories (IR) in Indian Universities and Research Institutes.

59

The study showed that institutional repositories in universities generally

include pre-prints of journal articles, seminar papers, technical reports,

research data, theses, dissertations, work in progress, important prints and

image collections, teaching and learning materials and materials documenting

the history of the institutions. IR expands access to research, facilitate control

over the research output of universities and institutions of national

importance, and provide a sustainable management system for digital content.

Marimuthu and Paraman (2011) in their article Analysis of Information

Technology Applications in Academic Libraries in Kuwait summarized that

development and use of information technology enables the libraries to offer

their users not only the appropriate resources available within their own

libraries but also to provide access to information in other libraries. The study

revealed that technology remains one of the primary drivers of change in the

way that people work, seek information, communicate and entertain

themselves. Libraries need to reorganize their physical spaces to make

technology enabled resources more readily available.

Saiju and Kabir (2011) conducted a study on Use of Electronic Journals

among Medical Faculty: A case study of Dr. S. M. C S J medical College

Library, Trivandrum showed that 48.88% respondents preferred to use e-

journals and 43.33 % respondents made use of e- journals 2-3 times a week.

51.11% of the respondents mentioned that the purpose of using e- journals is

to write projects. 62.22% of the respondents agreed that the use of e-journals

save their time and easy to access. The 40% respondents felt that the major

problem faced by them is lack of training to find the relevant material. The

study also revealed that respondents considered e-journals more important to

search inflation as compared to print format.

Shukla and Mishra (2011) in their study on Use of E-Resources by Research

Scholars of Institute Technology, Banaras Hindu University found that the

researchers are finding the information resources at their fingertips and they

accessed right information at right time with less effort. The findings depicted

60

that 64% research scholars preferred to use electronic resources whereas 34%

scholars preferred print as well as e-resources. 88% of the researchers from

the respondents used the electronic resources for research work. The slow

speed of the internet made the users uncomfortable in accessing the electronic

resources. 66% of the respondents responded that they felt uncomfortable in

accessing the resources because of slow speed of internet.

Sohail and Ahamad (2011) conducted a study on Use of E-Resources and

UGC-INFONET Consortium by the Teachers and Research Scholars in the

Aligarh Muslim University. The study revealed that only 55% respondents

were aware of UGC-INFONET consortium. 86.67% respondents mentioned

that they need training and orientation for effective use of e-resources of the

consortium. 91.67% respondents depicted interest in print journals along with

e-journals and 100% respondents agreed that more journals must be added to

the consortium.

Tyagi (2011) conducted a survey at Mahatma Gandhi Central Library, IIT

Roorkee to study the Usage of Electronic Information Resources and Services

by users. The study revealed that faculty and research scholars (100%) are

fully aware of INDEST consortium e-resources and make use of these

resources for writing research papers for publications. The INDEST

consortium e-resources were used maximum by the faculty, research scholars

and post graduate students as compared to undergraduate students. The

majority of e-resources were used for research work and for subject specific

information. The findings revealed that respondents felt comfortable in

accessing information in digital environment. 78.38% respondents considered

e-resources as the better substitute for printed journals/material.

Ansari and Zuberi (2010) conducted a survey on Use of Electronic

Resources among Academics at University of Karachi. The study depicted

that 78.5% respondents had a little knowledge of electronic resources. 51.4%

users preferred to use electronic and print resources only 5.7% users preferred

the use of electronic resources. 90% of the respondents considered that

61

electronic resources are reliable and majority of them believed that electronic

resources produced by the authentic organization or publishers are more

reliable. The majority of the respondents considered that lack of knowledge

and problem of networking are the main factors hindering the maximum

utilization of electronic resources. The study also revealed that training had

not been provided so the users learned to search the information using trial

and error method.

Min and Yi (2010) conducted a survey on the Use of E-resources, Services

and User Survey in Tsinghua University Library. The results showed that

more than 85.9% faculty and 20.3% of graduates are of the view that their

research can’t go without library services. 77.8% faculty and 64.2%

researchers and post graduate students liked to visit library web site than

visiting the library building. The study showed that 93.3% users are satisfied

with the e-resources to carry out their research. The study further revealed that

users find it convenient to search for information in digital environment.

Mukherjee and Kumar (2010) in their study on Use of UGC- INFONET E-

Journals by Research Scholars of the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi: A

Case Study found that 35.64% of the research scholars preferred to access the

resources using search engines, 41.87% of the research scholars preferred the

Central Library to access e-journals, 54.02% respondents preferred to take

print out of e-journals to read. The findings further revealed that 67.67% of

the users were satisfied with the available e-journals. The restricted access to

internet is the main constraint in accessing the e- journals.

Sivaparasad (2010) conducted a study on Users Attitude towards Digital

Information Resources. The findings of the study revealed that the digital

information resources played an important role in classroom teaching and

research work. The study showed that 69.57% engineering college teachers

made use of digital information resources for their classroom teaching while

30.43% made use of these resources for research work. The study revealed

that 88.04% teachers considered internet as a major digital information

62

resource. The 80.43% of the teachers were of the opinion that current and up

to date information can be accessed only through digital information

resources.

Gayathri Devi, Navalgund and Kumbar (2009) in their article

Technological and Critical Issues involved in the Provision of Digital

Information and Services mentioned that academic libraries have many

deficiencies in the successfully implementation of the digital services. The

libraries are dependent on parent organization for budget, technical support

and sanctions; however these can be overcome by library and information

professional using his technical competence, skill and knowledge.

Kaur and Verma (2009) conducted a study on the Use of Electronic

Resources and Services provided at the Central Library of IIT Delhi. The

results of the study revealed that the usage of e-journals is increasing among

the users because of awareness about library e-resources and services. The

users are finding it easy to access the resources from their hostels and the

departments.

Kaur and Verma (2009) conducted a study on the Use of Electronic

Information Resources amongst the Users of Thapar University. The study

revealed that use of electronic information resources amongst the users is

appreciable as the number of users using e- resources increased manifold. The

findings depicted that majority of faculty, research scholars and post graduate

students were aware of electronic resources and services provided by the

Thapar University Library. 95.24% of the faculty members responded that

they are aware and making use of UGC-INFONET consortium. 75% of

research scholars and 56% faculty accessed the e-journals 2-3 times a week.

The findings further revealed that UG, PG and Research Scholars preferred to

access the e-resources from the hostels whereas the Faculty preferred to

access the e-resources from their respective departments.

Hayati and Jowker (2008) investigated the effects of different features of

electronic reference materials on the rate of their adoption. The result of study

63

showed that most effective attributions of electronic reference resources are

the ability to facilitate information retrieval, shortening the time of searching

and fair cost of resources. The survey’s result suggested that users’ previous

experience and knowledge are often not applicable to new information

resources and to take full advantage of electronic resources it is advisable to

draw up programs to facilitate their adoption and understanding of them.

Choughule (2007) stated that information services provided a wide array of

services to assist members of the library in organizing material or making

them widely available to its users. In corporate sector information is of very

importance and only digital library can provide speedy access to the

qualitative information. It is commonly said in corporate world that unless

information is not available in digital form it is invisible. The librarians have

to stretch their services to information search services, to organize the

information resources for easy access and to filter qualitative information

from the vast ocean of World Wide Web.

Levin-Clark (2007) identified Level of Awareness and Patterns of Usage of

E-Books by Scholars in Humanities. A survey of the University of Denver

community assessed knowledge about usage of electronic books. The results

indicated that scholars in the humanities have a higher level of awareness of

e-books than their colleagues across campus but use e-books at the same rate.

Their patterns of use are different, with humanists using less of the e-books

than do other groups.

Moly (2007) mentioned that digitization is a viable solution to maintain the

digital collection and providing access to information and digital library is

essential in the contemporary society. Moly suggested that digital library

should provide physical and intellectual access to a highly distributed

heterogeneous collection of information resources. The access to the

information must be independent of time and distance and should be flexible

and personalized to the individual. Digital library guide users’ search towards

the best available resources and avoid the problem of overburdening the users

64

with too much information. Digital library can provide qualitative information

service faster than the traditional libraries and save time of users.

Nikam and Pramodini (2007) conducted a survey to study the Use of E-

Journals, Database and to find the Utilization and Satisfaction level amongst

the Users using E-Resources. The study revealed that 59.90% respondents

were aware of the available resources but need training to make optimum use

of these resources. The study revealed that only 50% of the respondents were

little bit satisfied. The study showed that the academic community at Mysore

University still prefer to use print journals as compared to e- journals. The

survey indicated that the use of e-journals and databases is very low and the

scientists of the Mysore University need training for the optimum utilization

of the e-resources.

Reddy and Ali (2006) conducted a User Satisfaction Survey on Technology

Based Services. The results showed that the information technology

techniques were being used by libraries for information processing, storage,

communication, dissemination of information, automation etc. The

governments had been also encouraging university and college libraries to

provide information technology based services. The study revealed that the

users’ satisfaction for services like hardware, software, OPAC and LAN, at

Indira Gandhi Memorial Library, Hyderabad, ranged from 71% to 94%. The

majority of users i.e. 41% to 66% used internet for academic purpose; 65% to

72% users used e-mail facility for academic purpose; 76% to 82% users’ used

e-journals and 60% to 75% users used CD-ROM databases. It is evident that

users preferred the library services in information technology environment.

Krishnamurthy (2005) in the article Digital Library Services at the Indian

Statistical Institute stated that the emergence of the information on the

internet and ever growing library resources has encouraged the libraries to

adopt digital information technologies to provide better information services.

Through the digital information resources more users of the institute had

benefitted from improved information access and availability. The systems

65

are enabling the institute staff to create and provide more effective

information services to their users.

Rehman and Ramzy (2004) conducted a survey to Assess the Awareness

and use of Electronic Information Resources at the Health Science Centre of

Kuwait University. The study revealed that the professionals were using only

MEDLINE database among all other electronically subscribed resources. The

use of other exorbitantly expensive electronic resources was marginal. The

primary factors for the less usage of electronic resources are time constraint,

lack of awareness and the absence of basic use skills. The study revealed that

the basic training program and active involvement of librarian is the crucial

step to make the effective use of these resources.

Ali and Hasan (2003) conducted a survey using questionnaire method to find

the Use of Electronic Services at IIT library Delhi. The results revealed that

78.79% users were satisfied with the computerized circulation lending

services, 61.61% users were satisfied with CD-ROM based services. 71.72%

users were found satisfied with internet service while 75.75% users were

satisfied with OPAC.

Bhattacharya and others (2002) in the article Digital Information Services:

Challenges and Opportunities mentioned that technological and cultural

changes have a considerable effect on the digital resource collection of digital

information service. The digital library services include Web-OPAC, CD-

ROM, Web-Databases, Digital Reference Service, Electronic Document

Delivery, Virtual Library Tours, Library Web Sites, Library Portals, Web-

based User Education, FAQ, Library Calendar, Web Forms, Bulletin Boards,

Discussion Forum and Listservs. The digital library services are becoming

highly reliable with the advanced information technology techniques.

Chowdhury (2002) in his article Digital Divide: How can Digital Libraries

Bridge the Gap stated that the users of developing countries are still deprived

of digital library services. The recent digital developments such as subject

gateways, digital reference services, free access to e-journals, e-books e-print

66

archives etc. enabled the users of developing countries to make use of these

digital libraries so that the digital divide can be reduced when the users

actually make use of the information for the purpose of making decisions in

every aspect of their daily lives.

Crawford and Dave (2000) in their survey on the Use of Electronic Services

at Glasgow Caledonian University Library stated that the word processing,

sending and receiving e-mail and web browsing is the common activity. The

study revealed that 87.5% users used internet for searching, 75% used e-mail

and 62.5% used for word processing. The number of users using either CD

ROM databases or online databases was very less as only 18% used CD ROM

databases and only 13% used online databases. Also the information

searching had been a minority activity as only 15% used electronic services

for information searching.

The above review of literature shows that very few studies had been

conducted on the IIT libraries. Though some literature had reflected the usage

of library services but not much literature is being available on the availability

and usage of digital information resources and services. Hence certain gaps

exist in the research of various IIT libraries. This study would help to fill a

gap while making a comparative study of availability and usage of digital

information resources and services in IIT libraries and would certainly

improve the existing literature in this field.

67

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