Usage of electronic resources by librarians of Sri Lankan universities

Abstract

The study investigates the usage of the e-resources available through CONSAL (Consortium of Sri Lankan Academic Libraries) and other means for the LIS professionals of the Sri Lankan public universities. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 99 librarians working in the Sri Lankan public universities. Findings revealed that 65% frequently use open access material for their research, and the majority (33%) use them for their research, 60% believed that the available e-resources fulfilled their needs. Inability to access the databases from home, absence of some full text articles, lack of relevant material and lack of access to archival material were identified as common barriers to use the e-resources. The study recommends improving access from homes, adding more LIS material and increase training to cover as many LIS professionals to increase the usage. The study is limited to the usage of the e-resources by the Librarians during 2014 and 2015 after the formulation CONSAL.