Researchers' perception and response to the open access resources (OAR) in higher learning institutions of Tamil Nadu, India

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to report the results of a survey conducted at Bharathidasan and Alagappa Universities to determine the research scholars' awareness, use of Open Access (OA) resources, reasons for using, impact of OA on the research scholars' research, satisfaction and problems faced.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a self-assessed questionnaire was developed to collect data from the research scholars pursuing their research degrees from Bharathidasan and Alagappa Universities of Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 400 research scholars from various disciplines responded were used for analysis.FindingsThe results indicated that the majority of research scholars aware of few OA resources to a large extent and afraid to redistribute the sources as they fear of copyright issues. Easy to use, more informative and global research at one place were the major reasons for accessing the resources. The research scholars were aware of OA features and OA's impact such as freedom to use, modify, resources available with source code, reliability, self-archiving, quick publishing, more citations etc. Delay in downloading and lack of computer terminals to access the resources were the major issues faced by the research scholars. On the whole, the researchers are considering OA model as an alternative to business model and expect the university librarians to promote and enhance the accessibility of OA resources.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of the results will enable the librarians and authorities in universities to formulate appropriate decisions to remove the issues faced by the research scholars and develop a framework for new literacy instructions.Originality/valueThe study undertaken is new to the Indian continent and the Tami Nadu state in particular. The findings of the study will be useful to improve the awareness level and use of OA resources effectively.

Assessment of information literacy skills and knowledge-based competencies in using electronic resources among medical students

Purpose>This paper aims to focus on the information literacy skills and how the resources are being used by medical students of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (MGMCRI), Pondicherry, India. The main aim is to determine the medical students use, purpose, search strategies and sources through which aware and literacy skills acquired. Further, this paper aims to bring out the problems faced.Design/methodology/approach>A survey method was conducted through a structured questionnaire distributed among 120 medical students from first year to fourth year. Stratified random sampling was used for selection of students.Findings>Findings of the study revealed that medical students largely used medical databases such as Bentham Sciences, ProQuest, PubMed and MedlinePlus. Further, the paper reveals that majority used health information for updating their knowledge and to acquire general information. The students' information literacy level found minimal, which may be the reason majority of the students found difficulty in locating the desired materials followed by irrelevant information, inadequate e-resources and lack of awareness reported some extent.Originality/value>The recommendations made based on the study are expected to be beneficial to the authorities and library administration of the surveyed institution to take appropriate measures for effective utilization of resources.