Awareness and use of e-journals by IIT Delhi and Delhi University library users.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of e-journals by the users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University. Design/methodology/approach – Survey research was conducted to access e-journal use among IIT Delhi and Delhi University users. A stratified random sample method was used for selection of respondents. The survey was conducted through a structured questionnaire taking a random sample of 300 users (PG and PhD) from different disciplines of IIT Delhi and Delhi University libraries and the response rate was 66.66 per cent. The questionnaires were administered personally among the users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University during the survey period (March-May 2011). Findings – From this survey it was found that most of the users are aware of e-journals and they are not only using them for building and updating their knowledge but also for collecting relevant material for their study and research purposes as information can be acquired expeditiously through e-journals. The main aim of consulting these journals is for retrieving information regarding research, publishing research papers and manuscripts, assignments, presentations, seminars, and largely to update their own knowledge. However, this study also reveals several inherent problems especially with the use of e-journals e.g. slow downloading as revealed by maximum IIT Delhi and Delhi University users. Other mechanical deficits like non-availability of a particular issue, lack of training and limited access to terminals are also present while using e-journals. Research limitations/implications – The present study consists only of e-journal users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University. The geographical coverage is restricted to Delhi. The responses have been taken from users and the data have been collected during the months of March-May 2011 only. Practical implications – The problem is selected by the investigator to understand the use of e-journals by IIT Delhi and Delhi University users so that libraries can make further improvement in their e-journal services depending upon the results and suggestions. Originality/value – The paper provides suggestions derived from the analysis of data which in turn will help to enhance the use of e-journal services and fulfill the needs and requirements of users in the libraries of IIT Delhi and Delhi University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]