Satisfaction with E-Resources and Perception of Libraries by Postgraduate Students at Daystar and Multimedia Universities in Kenya

Abstract

University libraries are expected to provide current, varied, sufficient and authoritative information resources for all academic programs on offer, and adopt information communication technologies in information provision and management. However, issues of support services offered on e-resources, competencies of library staff, provision of diverse eresources and satisfaction with e-resources are some of the issues that cause dissatisfaction among postgraduate students. This study sought to examine how satisfaction with e-resources influences perception of libraries by postgraduate students at Daystar and Multimedia Universities in Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to determine satisfaction with eresources; to establish postgraduate students’ perception towards libraries; and to establish the effect of satisfaction with e-resources on perception of university libraries. Most postgraduate students’ perception of university libraries is inappropriate. This is attributed to users experience and satisfaction which they have had with e-resources. It adopted a descriptive survey research design in sampling 116 postgraduate students and 4 library staff using simple random sampling and purposive sampling methods respectively. Primary data was collected through online questionnaires and interview guides. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. The results revealed that satisfaction with e-resources had a significant correlation with perception of university libraries. An R squared of 0.415 was found, implying that satisfaction with e-resources accounts for 42% of variations in perception of libraries by postgraduate students. The study concluded that satisfaction with eresources has a statistically significant influence on postgraduate students’ perception of university libraries. The implication is that satisfaction with e-resources is a critical determinant of postgraduate students’ perception of university libraries. The university library management needs to strengthen the satisfaction related aspects such as friendliness, professionalism, communication, reliability, and timeliness, which seem to be strong drivers of perception.