Users perception preference and use of print versus electronic resources in NITs a study of North Western India

Abstract

The thesis titled Users Perception, Preference and Use of Print Versus Electronic Resources in NITS: A Study of North-Western India is a pioneer study in the field of Library and Information science. The chief purpose of the present work was to assess the changed behaviour of the undergraduates of NITs of the North-Western region of India due to the electronic information environment. It studies the perception, preference and use of print versus electronic among undergraduates of six NITs of north-western India viz Jaipur, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Jalandhar, Hamirpur and Srinagar. The study had narrowed down the preferences and highlighted the requirement of the users. Findings reveal that the maximum users were aware of print books and newspaper whereas, large numbers of the respondents were aware of e-books. The study also indicated that about half of the respondents frequently preferred using print resources of the library contrary to the electronic format of resources. The research also accentuated the need for procuring and updating collection conforming to the requirements and preferences of undergraduates instead of moving with the market trends. The study suggested that all NITs should uniformly update the library webpage and give information on the web page associated with the library budget, users information details, infrastructural facilities, detailed information about the collection, publication list and other related information. newline