Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2021
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Purpose:
Goals of this research were to know the usage of print and online journals by the teaching faculty members in the universities of Lahore, to explore the reasons for using print and electronic journals and to furnish the recommendations for making effective utilization of journals at the Universities of public and private sector of Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach:
The study was conducted in four phases. Firstly, review of relevant literature was done. Secondly, tool of questionnaire was developed for data collection. The target population of this study was the all-academic faculty members of the universities of Lahore. Convenience sampling approach was chosen to collect desired data. Five diverse universities were selected to gather data. These universities had access to journals in print and electronic format. The questionnaire included questions about the respondents’ gender, type of institute, experience to use IT tools, reasons to use print and electronic journals and recommendations to use journals efficiently. The response rate was 74.9%. Thirdly, gathered data were analyzed through SPSS. In the final phase, findings were shaped along with recommendations.
Findings:
Results of the study show that majority of the participants was familiar with the basic concepts of IT. Respondent utilized both online and print journals to satisfy their needs. IT tools were frequently used to access online journals. Online journals were used on daily basis. Majority of the respondents utilized journals from the university library. Most of the respondents used research papers for teaching purpose. Many respondents used journals for writing articles, dissertations, supervising researchers, keeping updates in the concerned field. Many respondents were not familiar with advanced searching techniques. Most of the respondents couldn’t get remote access of HEC Online Databases for locating required articles from the journals.
Practical implications:
Findings of the study suggest that IT skills should be developed among the faculty members of the universities and off campus access to the online journals should also be provided for making an effective utilization.
Originality/value:
The paper offers recommendations to further improve the service of journals for the faculty members in order to satisfy information and research needs.