The Awareness and Use of Electronic Resources among Students of Seventh-Day Adventist Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Asanta.

Abstract

The explosion of information and communication technologies is transforming the landscape of academic libraries, shifting from traditional brick-and-mortar and print based resources to electronic formats. This study examines the awareness and use of electronic resources among students of the Seventh-day Adventist Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Asanta, Ghana. This study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as its theoretical framework and adopts a positivist paradigm, utilizing a quantitative survey research design. Data is collected using a questionnaire instrument from a sample size of 289 students, determined by Yamane’s formula, and analyzed using SPSS. Samples from the three respective academic levels are drawn using stratified random sampling. The study discovers that majority of students are aware of and use electronic resources provided by the college library predominantly for research purposes. Their attitude towards the use of electronic resources is positively demonstrated by their preference for e-resources over print materials due to the convenience and ease of use of ER. Despite the challenges of slow internet access coupled with the erratic power cuts which suppress access and use among some students, majority of them acquiesce to having the needed skills to effectively use electronic resources. The study proposes recommendations that touch on training, awareness creation, expansion of network infrastructure, and access to electronic resources with adequate coverage and scope to address the challenges discovered.