Awareness and challenges of students in accessing the college e-library resources: Basis for library e-literacy training

Abstract

This study used a descriptive, quantitative approach with 300 randomly selected respondents from a total of 1,197 college students. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using frequency count, percentages, mean, t-test, and ANOVA. Majority of the respondents were females, aged 20 and above, third-year students from the College of Nursing, primarily from urban areas, and used smartphones for accessing college e-library resources. Majority of the students are very aware of the existence of the college e-library resources which are internet access, offline databases, e-books, and e-journals that can be downloaded in any format such as Adobe PDF, Microsoft Reader, e-reader, Kindle, etc. Students are not using the 24/7 Library System (Web-OPAC). Instead, they are using Ebsco host Database to access e-books, e-journals, etc. Results showed that students are highly aware of internet connections, networking connectivity, databases, supporting staff, power backup, software, operating systems, and photocopying machines. However, they are moderately aware of printers, scanners, antivirus, and computers. Awareness levels vary based on sex and grade level; but not age, college, geographical location, or technological device. Sex and year level significantly impact awareness of college e-library resources while age, college, and technological device use do not. They are always connected to the university’s internet. Sometimes, they also face challenges in accessing the college e-library resources. They believe that the staff are knowledgeable and skilled, despite encountering challenges which were similar across categories. Based on the results of the study, a library e-literacy training was proposed to increase students' awareness of electronic library resources.