Barriers preventing the optimal use of e-books: A South African undergraduate perspective

South African Journal of Information Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Barriers preventing the optimal use of e-books: A South African undergraduate perspective
 
Creator van der Westhuizen, Janina C. Potgieter-Richardson, Andrea Rensleigh, Chris
 
Subject Library Science; Information Science e-books; undergraduate students; e-book usage; digital natives; academic libraries; electronic resources; digital divide; developing countries
Description Background: South African academic libraries are spending large amounts of money annually to provide users access to e-books. In many of the South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) undergraduate students form the largest part of the institutional cohort. It is therefore crucial to understand what factors influence the optimal use of e-books by undergraduate students and what possible interventions can be applied to ensure optimum use.Objectives: This article aims to identify the main factors that prevent the optimal use of e-books by undergraduate students at a South African university.Method: For this study, pragmatism was used as the philosophical paradigm, with sequential mixed methods using questionnaires and focus groups.Results: The findings of this study revealed that while e-books can be regarded as an accepted source of information among undergraduate students, there are still several barriers impacting the optimal use of e-books by undergraduate students.Conclusion: This study identified five significant barriers that negatively influence the optimal use of e-books and provides possible solutions to improve the usage of e-books.Contribution: The results of this study will contribute towards the lack of information available on the usage of e-books in the South African context.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor University of Johannesburg
Date 2024-04-15
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Mixed methods: Quantitative = Survey and Qualitative = Focus groups
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajim.v26i1.1750
 
Source South African Journal of Information Management; Vol 26, No 1 (2024); 9 pages 1560-683X 2078-1865
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1750/2708 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1750/2709 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1750/2710 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1750/2711
 
Coverage Southern Africa Current Undergraduate students, mixed enthicity and mixed race
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Janina C. van der Westhuizen, Andrea Potgieter-Richardson, Chris Rensleigh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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