Use and non-use of electronic information sources by undergraduates at the University of the West Indies

Purpose- To gather some empirical, baseline information on the use/non-use of selected, subscribed electronic information services (EIS) among full time Year Three undergraduates at The St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago and in the geographic area of the Caribbean. Design/methodology/approach- The study’s research design involved a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach: a user survey comprising self-administered, semi-structured questionnaires and face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Findings- Over half of the total respondents had not accessed any of the EIS. Lack of awareness of the services’ availability was revealed as the over-riding factor for non-use. It concludes that undergraduates make infrequent or no use at all of certain EIS largely from lack of awareness. Research limitations/implications-Due to lack of an available sampling frame and data protection regulations, the study was unable to obtain a probabilistic sample. Practical Implications- The study’s findings are consistent with the results from information behaviour studies in the United Kingdom that underline the critical role of academic staff in promoting the use of subscribed EIS. Originality/value- There exists a number of studies on the use of EIS, but this is the first of its kind within the English-speaking Caribbean.