Awareness and Utilization of Electronic Resources by Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Members in Universities:A Case of Chuka University

Abstract

ThestudysoughttoinvestigatetheawarenessandutilizationofelectronicresourcesbyacademicstaffintheHumanitiesandSocialSciencesFacultyatChukaUniversity,Kenya.Thepurposeoftheinvestigationwastoinquireabouttherespondents’ appreciationoftheresources,levelofutilizationbasedonavailabilityandaccess,benefitsderivedfromusageaswellaschallengesencountered,asaresultofusage.Thestudyadoptedthedescriptivesurveyresearchdesign.Thefindingsrevealedthat82%oftherespondentswereawareoftheelectronicresourcessubscribedtobytheUniversityandthatand86%oftherespondentsutilizedtheresourcestwoorthreetimesaweek.Thestudyidentifiedinconsistentinternetconnectivity,Lackofcomputerskills,slownetwork,poweroutageandirrelevantelectronicinformationresourcesashindrancestotheutilizationoftheseelectronicresources.ThestudyrecommendsenhancementofInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)networkorbandwidth,increasingthenumberofInformationandCommunicationTechnologies,provisionoffacultyspecificusertrainingandinformationliteracyinstruction,andincreasingmarketingstrategies