Abstract

MASHABA, Makhanani C.  and  PRETORIUS, Agnieta B.. Electronic library resource use by postgraduate students at a university of technology in South Africa. SAJIM (Online) [online]. 2023, vol.25, n.1, pp.1-11. ISSN 1560-683X.  https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v25i1.1602.

BACKGROUND: A university of technology in South Africa provides different kinds of e-library resources to its users. Not much is known about the use of these e-library resources by postgraduate students. The existing literature focuses mostly on using e-library resources by all university students and do not specifically emphasise postgraduate students. Therefore, there is a need for a study to investigate the use of e-library resources by postgraduate students. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the use patterns and the factors influencing the use of e-library resources by postgraduate students of a university of technology in South Africa. METHOD: The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model was used to conceptualise the study. A quantitative approach was used with a descriptive survey research method. Questionnaires were designed and distributed through email using survey monkey. RESULTS: Facilitating conditions (FCs) directly influence postgraduate students' intention to use e-library resources and age moderates the influence of facilitating conditions on e-library resource use. Mediated by behavioural intention (BI), e-library resource use is influenced by performance expectancy (PE), by effort expectancy (EE) and by social influence (SI). CONCLUSION: The UTAUT model was used to determine the use patterns and the factors influencing the use of e-library resources by postgraduate students of a university of technology in South Africa. CONTRIBUTION: The literature has underemphasised the need to investigate the influence of postgraduate students in South African universities using e-library resources. Therefore, the study results are expected to fill that gap.

Keywords : e-library resources; university libraries; e-resource usage; UTAUT; postgraduate students; information literacy.

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