Abstract

Author(s): C. Ranganathan

Resources of information available via the Internet are increasing exponentially, leading to steady increase in the use of Internet for education and research. Since past few years, free online information sources like e journals, e-books, e-databases have increased considerably. Earlier, information and knowledge were passed by word of mouth or through manuscripts, and communication was a slow process. Today, it is passed from one individual to an infinite number of other users through a number of media and formats which makes rapid and widespread dissemination of information possible. This article discusses Use of Scholarly Information by Faculty Members of Engineering Colleges in Villupuram Town: A Case Study. A questionnaire survey was used for data collection, 180 well structured questionnaires were distributed for collecting the data, out of which, 112 were returned duly filled in with the response rate of 62%.The analysis of data collected covered awareness of electronic resources, Adequacy of E-Resource, Method of learning to access e-Resources, Place of Accessing Electronic Information, Approaching Method in Web for Retrieving relevant Information, impact of use of electronic resources on the academic productivity of respondents and problems faced by researchers while using electronic resources. The study found that the Internet are the most used of the e-resources. Results show that 87 per cent of the faculty is familiar with the use of Scholarly Information, and majority of these members are using Scholarly Information for research and teaching purpose. Study also reveals that majority of the faculty members are learning the required skills for the usage of Scholarly Information through self-study. There was a general indication that respondents did not receive adequate training in the use of electronic resources. Inadequate infrastructure is a major factor that hinders users from using electronic resources. The article provides suggestions for further improvement of use of scholarly information in order reap the benefits of the innovation in the engineering colleges