Challenges Facing Undergraduates in the Use of Electronic Information Resources in Universities in Southwest Nigeria

Introduction

The university library is a site where information resources are collected, sorted, preserved, and made available to students, lecturers, and the entire university community to suit their information needs. Currently, there is a move away from print to electronic information resources (EIR), thus forcing traditional libraries to deliver its services using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities. Furthermore, with outdated and obsolete traditional resources in prints, the traditional university library cannot provide services favourably without modern information technology. University libraries should purchase electronic resources that are relevant to their customers in order to attract library users and provide effective information delivery.

Moreover, Khan (2016) asserts that hundreds of thousands of monographic materials, journals, learning resources and databases among others, are now available in electronic formats, and these materials can be accessed from remote corners of a country, thereby increasing the use of information, literature and the efficiency of information services. With the emergence of ICT, users can access their libraries’ Electronic Information Resources (EIR) from their hostels, offices and homes at their convenience. Similarly, Mansur (2012) and IGI Global (2019) describe electronic information resources as electronic products and information materials that bring a group of data in an electronic resources format, such as full text databases, electronic-journals, electronic-books, e-newspapers, image collections, archives, theses, symposium papers, administration papers, scripts, and books. Hussain and Saddiqa (2019) highlighted hindrances faced by respondents while accessing electronic information resources in most Nigeria libraries such as low speed of the Internet, inadequate IT infrastructure, energy crisis low speed and non-availability of the Internet facility, lack of workshops and instructions were the major problems identified by the participants of the survey.

This is not without challenges. Despite the importance of electronic resources for undergraduate students, there are some challenges associated with the use. This is the crux of this study. In addition, there is a dearth of empirical data on challenges facing undergraduate students in the use of electronic information resources in universities in South-West, Nigeria. Much that has been written centre largely on the whole gamut of electronic information resource. There appears to be a dearth of any known study on challenges facing undergraduates in the use of electronic information resources in universities in South-West, Nigeria. It is in this context, that this study seeks to investigate the challenges facing undergraduates in the use of electronic information resources in universities in South-West, Nigeria.