Use of electronic resources by students in a premier postgraduate theological university in Ghana

Abstract

Background: Most electronic resource (e-resource) studies have been undertaken in universities because e-resources are crucial in enhancing students’ research and learning activities. However, there is a paucity of e-resources research in postgraduate theological universities, particularly in Ghana. This study, therefore, investigated students’ level of use of e-resources at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture.

Objectives: The study’s specific objectives were to identify the types of e-resources available for use, discover the extent of awareness of e-resources, find out how e-resources were accessed and used, ascertain the purposes of using e-resources and identify the benefits of and problems in using e-resources.

Method: Using the survey research design, copies of the questionnaire were administered to 33 postgraduate students by accidental sampling. Data analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013 were mainly presented as frequency and percentage distributions.

Results: The study revealed high awareness levels, adequate computer competencies, derivation of multiple benefits, use of e-resources for academic purposes and inadequate search skills of most respondents because of the dearth of training. Constraints to e-resources usage were access problems, search and retrieval problems and staff-related problems.

Conclusion: The study informs university administrators and libraries about the need to ensure students leverage e-resources in research and studies. The study proposed, among other recommendations, the provision of regular and mandatory information literacy training for students, the need for the institute’s library staff to provide personalised search support to students and the provision of off-campus access to the institute’s e-resource subscriptions.