Library automation and graduate students’ access to information at Makerere University

Abstract

This study set out to investigate the relationship between the automated library services and graduate students’ access to information at Makerere University Library. The automated library services considered in this study were conceptualized as Online Journals, Electronic Books, Online Catalogues and Compact Discs Read Only Memory (CD ROMs). The main objectives of the study were to establish whether availability of automated library services has a relationship with graduate students’ access to information at Makerere University, to establish whether accessibility of automated library services has a relationship with graduate students’ access to information at Makerere University, and to establish whether utilization of automated library services has a relationship with graduate students’ access to information at Makerere University. The study took both quantitative and qualitative paradigms. The quantitative paradigm was based on variables measured with numbers and analyzed with statistical procedures. It was co-relational because each of the considered library automation aspects was co related with students’ access to information. The qualitative paradigm was mainly descriptive in nature. Both paradigms were survey because a large number of respondents was involved and cross sectional because data was collected from all respondents once and for all. The population included 167 respondents from the faculties of Arts, Education, Social Sciences, Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (IACE) and Psychology at Makerere. The findings of the study indicated that there was a positive relationship between availability, accessibility and utilization of automated services and graduate students’ access to information. Therefore the findings revealed that availability, accessibility and utilization of automated library services enhance graduate students’ access to information. It was therefore recommended that the university should replace old computers with new ones, equip branch libraries and subscribe to more band width in order to make it possible for library users to access information using the automated services.