Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
Spring 10-11-2022
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Abstract.
This study examined the University of Zambia students and researchers’ perception of the relevance of open access resources in their academic and professional work.The investigation was based on continued problem of low usage of online resources provided by the University of Zambia Library to support learning, teaching and research in the University. The study used a mixed-methods approach and took a case study-mixed methods design to investigate the research problem.
Findings:The study revealed that although the overall results showed an average level of awareness and low usage of the open access resources among students and researchers, the majority had a positive perception of open access resources, especially during covid-19 as it allowed remote access to information they needed. They regarded open access to be scholarly anduseful in their academic and professional work. The study recommends the Library to adopt of social media platforms, email/RSS/Google alerts, UNZA website, Selective dissemination of information, WhatsApp groups,mobile phone alerts and vendor alerts to boost both awareness and usage.
Originality:The study recommends the use of alerting services to promote access and use of open access resources such as Google alerts, WhatsApp groups and mobile phone alerts, using a pragmatic approach. This allowed the application of different knowledge from a different perspective on existing systems, as well as establishments of new discoveries and interpretations of research findings using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model.
Comments
This is an extract from Dr. Eness Munzya Miyanda,s thesis