Information seeking behaviour of faculty and use of the internet at Gulu University Library, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

This study examined the information seeking behaviour of faculty and use of the Internet at Gulu University Library. The purpose of the study was to answer the following research questions: What has been reported in the subject literature on the information behaviour of faculty with specific reference to the use of the Internet, which research methods need to be used to study the information behaviour and Internet use of faculty? What is the information seeking behaviour of faculty at Gulu University with specific reference to the following: factors driving information seeking? Information seeking preferences? Use of the Internet? And challenges encountered while seeking information? The study used descriptive survey design and the respondents were faculty members from Gulu University. No sampling method was used since the whole population was considered. Data for the study was collected using self- administered questionnaires. The study found that faculty members make considerable use of e-resources available through the Internet for teaching, research, and general work. Faculty members’ self rating of information seeking skills is good regarding WWW search engines, Internet browsers, searching electronic journals and using simple/basic search interfaces. Faculty members at Gulu University slightly prefer seeking for electronic information resources more than print information resources. The majority of faculty members use the Internet frequently and the major points of access are: wireless Internet, personal modems and access provided in the main library. The most searched for Internet information resources are reference materials, e-journals, newspapers and magazines. The most frequently used Internet tools are general search engines and e-mail. Subscription databases such as EBSCOhost, HINARI, AGORA, Cochrane Library, Medline, Emerald and Blackwell are unpopular among faculty members at Gulu University with only Google scholar which is free being popular and used frequently. The most important factors influencing non-use of the Internet by faculty members at Gulu University are: slow Internet speed and unreliable Internet connections. The gaps identified in the Gulu University Library service are: absence of a library website, inadequate current textbooks and inadequate e-resources. It was concluded that the University Library with support from Gulu University management and government should increase bandwidth for faster Internet access. Furthermore they should improve on the maintenance of computers and Internet services, invest in alternative power backup such as solar energy and generators, increase the number of networked computers and integrate information literacy training in the course curriculums at Gulu University.