Information Access and the Related Problems

Abstract

Purpose: The study attempts to explore the information-seeking behavior of PG students in terms of understanding their way of obtaining information, impact of Internet on their information-seeking behavior, their familiarity with search engines and the physiological problem encountered while seeking information. Methodology: Survey method was employed to carry out the research and a well-designed questionnaire was used as a data gathering tool. A sample size of 208 postgraduate (PG) students was selected using stratified random sampling and accordingly 208 questionnaires were distributed among the students pursuing different PG courses from the faculty of Science and Social Science of University of Kashmir. Findings: The main findings of the study reveal that students’ dependency on print format has changed due to the availability of information in multiple formats; Students nowadays tend to use both electronic as well as print form of information source. Besides, students consult variety of information sources while facing difficulty in accessing information and primarily prefer to seek assistance from “Internet.” Google is more famous search engine among the majority of students followed by Yahoo and there is an extremely low awareness of search engines like HotBot, MSN, and Bing. Study further divulges that students face many physiological problems while seeking information on Internet and eye strain followed by headache emerges out to be at top. Practical Application: The article finds great implications in understanding the information-seeking behavior of PG students of University of Kashmir. Furthermore, it can act as a guide to help university administration and library management to overcome the barriers, improve library services, and develop auser-oriented collection to ensure 100% satisfaction level of library users.

Keywords: Information-seeking behavior, information technology, Internet, University of Kashmir