The Extent of Utilization of Open Access Resources in Libraries of Private Universities by Postgraduate Students in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of utilization of Open Access Resources (OAR) in libraries of private universities by postgraduate students in Nigeria. Four research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study and were tested at .05 level of significance. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study is 603 and it is made up of all postgraduate students in Nigerian private universities, irrespective of their courses of study. A total sample size of 120 respondents was selected using multi-stage sampling technique. The researcher developed a questionnaire titled “Utilization of Open Access Resources Questionnaire” (UOARQ) and an observation checklist, which were used to collect data for the study. A total of 120 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to respondents, out of which 113 copies were returned and found to be correctly filled. This gave a response rate of 94.2%. The data collected were analyzed using Mean (X) and Standard Deviations to answer the research questions. The major findings of the study were that the overall availability of open access sources in the libraries was poor. Also, the general utilization of open access resources amongst postgraduate students was also low. Some major challenges that led to the foregoing were that the awareness of open access resources among these students was low, besides the Internet connectivity is slow, erratic power supply, inability of library staff to assist users in searching and using these resources. Based on the findings, it was strongly recommended that the library should often organize seminars and workshops on open access for both students and other library stakeholders, provide power backups like power inverter or solar facilities in the library, increase Internet bandwidth, among others.