Open Access And Free Resources On The Internet: Awareness And Use During Covid-19 Pandemic

Authors

Prayangi Vishal Matonkar Ms, PES,Rajaram and Tarabai Bandekar College of Pharmacy, Ponda, Goa (India)Follow
Keshav R. Dhuri Dr, Sant Sohirobanath Ambiye Govt. College of Arts & Commerce, Pernem Goa (India)Follow

Abstract

The Internet is a huge source of free and openly available information. However, the awareness about open source information amongst faculty and students is not known. The objective of this study is to explore the awareness and use of open access resources (OARs) by Faculty and students of Ponda Education Society’s (PES’s) colleges. A questionnaire-based survey method has been used in this research. A questionnaire was designed in Google Forms and was sent to 400 library users. A total of 278 (69.5%) library users filled in the form. The findings shows that 110 (39.6%) of respondents are not aware of the OARs and 132 (48.5%) of respondents were not aware of the COVID 19 open access resources provided by publishers and vendors during the COVID-19 crisis. Study recommends training on OARs to overcome the problems faced by library users in using OARs. The study also suggests librarians to increase awareness of OARs through information literacy sessions through orientation sessions.