Undergraduate Students’ Use of E-Resources in University Libraries in Niger State

Abstract

Effective use of e-resources in university libraries is necessary for the academic development of students. This paper, therefore, assessed the relative effect of the available e-resources on undergraduate students' use of university libraries in Niger State. The study also ascertained the e-resources that made the greatest contribution to students' use of the libraries. A survey research design was used for the study, and the study population was 130 undergraduate students from Federal University of Technology, Minna, and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai. The main instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The two libraries, as the study revealed, mainly subscribe to Science Direct for accessibility of e-resources. The study revealed that e-resources such as e-journals, bibliographic databases, e-books, e-databases, e-newspapers, and e-magazines, among others, were available in the university libraries studied. The study also revealed that, of all the available e-resources considered together, e-journals and bibliographic databases made the greatest contributions, which are significant to undergraduate students' use of the university libraries. To enhance the level of use of e-resources and the entire libraries by undergraduate students, the majority of the students indicated the need for the provision of stable network services, followed by an alternative power supply system and the provision of a regulatory body to govern the use of e-resources in the libraries.