Faculty use of Internet services at a University of Agriculture and Technology.

Kumar, Devendra

Introduction

The Internet provides vast amounts of information on every field and subject. There are hundreds of millions Web pages, bibliographical databases, and full-text databases available on the Internet (Prasher, 2003). Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, India, was established in 2000, under the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University Act, the first agricultural university of the century. The development of library equipped with modern facilities, recent text books, and other study material is in process.

Review of Related Literature

Bansode and Pujar (2008) highlight the purpose of use, methods of locating information, and search techniques used in retrieving the information by the research scholars of Shivaji University, Kolhapur. The authors find that scholars use the internet for research and communication purposes, and conclude that more awareness about Internet resources and training in their use should be provided by library professionals. Biradar, et al., (2006) conducted a study on Internet use at Kuvempur University. The results indicated that 42 percent of students use the Internet twice a week, and more than 30 percent of faculty use it daily. The majority of students and faculty use the Internet for study and teaching. They use the Internet in the library, as well as in commercial places. Most respondents are satisfied with Internet sources and services.

Eynon (2005) conducted a study on the use of the Internet in higher education and use of ICTs for teaching and learning. The most common use of ICTs in all subjects was to provide students with the access to a range of online resources. Academics motivations for using ICTs were enhancing the educational experience for their students; to compensate for some of the changes occurring in higher education; and personal interest and enjoyment. The difficulties encountered were lack of time; dissatisfaction with the software available, and copyright issues.

Mahajan (2006) conducted a study of Internet use by researchers in Punjab University, Chandigarh, which analyzed the technologies that have transformed society into a knowledge society. It was stated that the Internet is considered to be the most valuable of all computer technologies.

Mulla and Chandrashekara (2006) conducted a study on Internet users of Mysore University. The study was conducted using faculty, students, and researchers in different science subjects. The study revealed that a majority of users used the Internet and were satisfied with the information available.

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of Internet services by the faculty members of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is specifically focused on the following objectives:

* To study the present Internet services provided by university

* To discover the purposes for which the Internet

* To identify sources of information

* To discover preferred search engines

* To identify problems faced by users

* To determine the satisfaction level of users regarding infrastructure facilities, membership fee, and location.

* To discover user satisfaction with the Internet services provided

Methodology

The study uses the case study method. A structured questionnaire was designed and used for collecting data. The sample for the study was selected purposefully from those noticed in the Internet lab more frequently. The questionnaires were distributed among 60 faculty members, of which 50 were completed.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Sixty percent of respondents use the Internet daily or 2-3 times a week.

Virtually all respondents used the Internet for accessing information quickly, and a large number also use it for entertainment. Half say they use it for communication, while 30 percent say they use it for research and development.

More than half of respondents learned through trial and error, while a nearly equal number had guidance from colleagues and friends.

Users indicated how their time using the Internet is distributed, showing a wide variety in formats used and time spent.

Most users describe the websites they use most often as general purpose.

E-mail and www search are used by virtually all respondents, while search engines and ejournals are also used by a large majority.

E-journals and e-articles are used by a large majority of respondents, followed by other information resources.

It is clear from the data that Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, and Hotbot are the most used search engines among the respondents.

Advanced searching features are used by only about 20 percent or less of respondents.

More than three quarters of respondents find that important sites in the subject areas are not known, and more than half indicated that they faced the problem of finding relevant information.

Nearly three quarters of respondents find the Internet useful for their research.

While respondents are generally satisfied with seating arrangements, they are not satisfied with the number of computers or printers, or with the multimedia resources.

Nearly half of respondents were fully or partly satisfied with the available Internet facilities, leaving more than half unsatisfied.

Findings

The following important findings can be noted:

A majority of the respondents use the Internet for research purposes and to access information quickly.

* E-mail and WWW were the most used Internet services in the library.

* Most of the users prefer Google's search engine to search for information.

* Most users face some problems, such as lack of knowledge of important websites in subject areas.

* Advanced searching techniques are only used by a small portion of respondents.

* A large number of Internet users were not satisfied with the infrastructure facilities available in the library. Facilities such as number of terminals, multimedia facilities, and printers, were inadequate for the fulfillment of needs of the users.

* A large majority of users were satisfied with the use of Internet and the information available there.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The present study indicates that a majority of faculty members use the Internet as one of their sources of information. This study gives a snapshot use of Internet by faculty at a single university; however, the snapshot makes it clear that most library users use the Internet daily for research and development purposes and to access information quickly. The study also indicates that most users were satisfied with the information available on the Internet. The present study puts forth the various suggestions to be implemented to improve Internet service in the library. Time slots should be increased, and printers made available to the faculty. Faculty training programs are essential for proper use of Internet resources. Internet facilities should be improved, and upgraded PCs may be installed. CD-ROM/CD writers must be installed for data collection. Internet service should be provided around the clock and broadband facilities should provide more journals online.

References

Bansode, S. Y., & Pujar, S. M. (2008). Use of Internet by research scholars at Shivaji University, Kolhapur. Annals of Library and Information Studies 55 : 123-126.

Birader, B. S., Rajshekhar, G.R., & Sampath Kumar, B. T. (2006). A study of Internet usage by students and faculties in Kuvempes University. Library Herald 44 (4): 283-294.

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Devendra Kumar

Faculty

Department of Library & Information Science

Chaudhary Charan Singh University

Meerut (UP), India

Table 1: Frequency of Internet Use

S.No.   Time               No. of Respondents   Percentage

1       Daily              20                   40
2       2-3 times a week   10                   20
3       Once a week        8                    16
4       Not specified      7                    14
5       No response        5                    10
        Total              50                   100

Table 2: Purpose of Internet Use

S.No.   Purpose of Internet Use         No. of Respondents   Percentage

1       Accessing information quickly   48                   96
2       Study/research                  15                   30
3       Communication                   25                   50
4       Entertainment                   45                   90
5       No response                     4                    8

Table 3: Method of learning Internet skills

Method                                 Number   Percentage

Trial and error                        27       54
Guidance from colleagues and friends   21       42
Training from university/Department    10       20
Self instruction                       15       30
External courses                       07       14

Table 4: Average time spent in a week for using Internet
facilities for Research Development work.

Internet
tools/research    30 Minutes           Up to 1 hours

E Book            11 (19.92 percent)   12 (18.46 percent)
Online Journals   10 (15.38 percent)   12 (18.46 percent)
E-Articles        12 (18.46 percent)   9 (13.84 percent)
E-Thesis          6 (9.23 percent)     2 (3.07 percent)
Web Resources     3 (4.61 percent)     5 (7.69 percent)
E-Archives        1 (1.53 percent)     2 (3.07 percent)
Download          8 (12.30 percent)    3 (4.61 percent)
Online            3 (4.61 percent)     11 (16.92 percent)

Internet
tools/research    1-2 hours            25 hours

E Book            7 (10.76 percent)    5 (7.69 percent)
Online Journals   4 (6.15 percent)     10 (15.38 percent)
E-Articles        9 (13.84 percent)    7 (10.76 percent)
E-Thesis          8 (12.30 percent)    3 (4.63 percent)
Web Resources     4 (6.15 percent)     1 (1.53 percent)
E-Archives        4 (6.15 percent)     --
Download          7 (10.76 percent)    7 (10.76 percent)
Online            4 (6.15 percent)     7 (10.76 percent)

Internet
tools/research    5 hours

E Book            2 (3.07 percent)
Online Journals   9 (13.84 percent)
E-Articles        3 (4.61 percent)
E-Thesis          --
Web Resources     1 (1.53 percent)
E-Archives        --
Download          2 (3.07 percent)
Online            12 (18.46 percent)

Table 5: Most-used websites

Category           No. of Respondents   Percentage

General            49                   98
Discipline-based   38                   76
Recreational       04                   08

Table 6: Use of Internet Services

Name of Service                   No. of Respondents   Percentage

E-mail                            48                   96
WWW                               45                   90
E-Journal                         32                   64
Search engines                    43                   86
FTP                               19                   38
FAQ                               26                   52
Telnet                            17                   34
Usenet                            32                   64
List services/discussion groups   18                   36
BBS (bulletin board services)     16                   32

Table 7: Internet information resources

Type of e-information        Frequency   Percentage

E-journals                   40          80
E-articles                   34          68
E-thesis and dissertations   21          42
Databases                    18          36
E-books                      16          36
Mailing lists                07          14
Newsgroups                   09          18
Subject gateways             04          08
E-archives                   03          06
Web resources                07          14
Downloading services         21          42
Online search                16          32

Table 8: Favorite Search Engines

Search Engines   Number of Respondents   Percentage

Google           43                      86
Yahoo            32                      64
AltaVista        15                      30
Rediff           12                      24
Hotbot           06                      12
Khoj             03                      06
Lycos            03                      06
Not specified    01                      02

Table 9: Use of advanced search features

Search Facility           Frequency   Percentage

Boolean operators         10          20
Truncation                02          04
URLs: Creative guessing   08          16
Portals                   11          22
Directories               04          08
Search engines            09          18
Phrase searching          06          12

Table 10: Problems

Problem                                   Respondents   Percentage

Important sites in the subjects areas
  are not known                           38            76
Difficulty finding relevant information   27            54
The allotted time slot is insufficient    15            30
No problem                                16            32
Electricity failure                       03            06

Table 11: Satisfaction with internet for research purpose

Category       No. of Respondents   Percentage

Most helpful   15                   30
Helpful        21                   42
Not helpful    05                   10
No response    09                   18
Total          50                   100

Table 12: Infrastructure facilities available in the library

Category             Respondents                       Total

                     Satisfied        Not Satisfied

Seating              31 (62 percent)  19 (38 percent)  50 (100 percent)
Number of terminals  22 (44 percent)  28 (56 percent)  50 (100 percent)
Multimedia           20 (40 percent)  30 (60 percent)  50 (100 percent)
Number of printers   15 (30 percent)  35 (70 percent)  50 (100 percent)

Table 13: Faculty member's satisfaction with Inter

Satisfaction          No. of Respondents   Percentage

Partially satisfied   12                   24
Fully satisfied       11                   22
No comments           10                   20
Least satisfied       09                   18
No response           08                   16
Total                 50                   100