EVALUATING ACCESS AND USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES BY 4 TH YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND MEDIA STUDIES AT MALAWI UNIVERSITY OF BUSSINESS AND APPLIED SCIENCES (MUBAS)

Introduction
The use of technology in higher education institutions library has become a
significant component in this digital era. Electronic resources provide new and
exciting opportunities for students to retrieve information related to their subjects of
specialty and peer reviewed papers. One of the most effective ways for provision of
access to electronic resources in university libraries is through subscription to online
databases (Gakibayo et al., 2013). University libraries are investing in electronic
resources for students to access and use updated information resources. As part of
supporting the learning and research activities of the university, Malawi University of
Business and Applied Sciences library (MUBAS) provides access to e-resources.
Therefore this study examines the awareness, usage and challenges encountered by
4 th year undergraduate students in the school of Education and Media Studies.
Statement of the research problem
Due to explosion of information and to meet the needs of the millennials, today’s
modern libraries acquire electronic resources as part of their collections. These
resources can be accessed locally or remotely without time constraints. MUBAS
library subscribes to electronic resources through Malawi Library Information
Consortium (MALICO).The library provides training to the undergraduate students
who have just joined the university on the access and use of these e- resources.
Since the introduction of electronic resources, no study has been conducted to
evaluate access and use of electronic resources. It is against this background that
this study seeks to evaluate the access and use of electronic resources by 4 th year
undergraduate students at Malawi University of Business and Applied and Sciences.
Methodology
This study employed a descriptive research design and adopted quantitative
research method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the
students. The study used census sampling method to select 71 4 th year
undergraduate students pursuing Journalism in the school of Education and Media
studies. The study targeted this group because as final year students they are
required to undertake a research project in partial fulfillment for the award of
bachelor’s degree. Data was analysed using computer Statistical Package for Social
Science (SPSS).

Findings
The preliminary findings of this study revealed that 71.1% of the respondents were
aware of the electronic resources. The majority 62.2% indicated Google while
minority of 28.8% used online database. The findings indicated that 37.7% found
advanced search as a challenge and 17.7% indicated basic search.
Implications of the study
The study findings will inform the library if at all students are aware and eventually
will guide the librarians to intervene with proper information literacy strategies.
Results will also add to the body of knowledge on LIS on electronic resources in Malawi.