Assessment of the utilisation of Makerere University electronic information resources by academic staff; challenges and prospects

Abstract

The study investigated the utilization of electronic information resources by the academic staff of Makerere University in Uganda. It examined academic staff awareness of the resources’ availability, the types of resources provided by the University Library , factors affecting their utilization, problems faced, and it offers recommendations for the way forward. The study was both qualitative and quantitative in nature, employing questionnaire, interview and content analysis methods. Findings reveal that the University provides most of the electronic information resources and most academic staff were aware of their availability. Findings revealed a number of factors affecting electronic information resources’ utilization and the problems academic staff face. Major conclusions are that despite a number of problems inhibiting use of these resources, a number of academic staff are aware of the availability of these resources and some use them. Major recommendations include among others: enhancing of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network or bandwidth, increasing the number of Information and Communication Technologies, decentralizing of service provision, and increasing marketing strategies.