Designing an Optimized Framework for Effective Usage and Efficient Access of E Resources in the Consortium of Ugandan University Libraries

The 21st Century has experienced an extraordinary explosion of electronic resources (E-resources) which have extremely changed the information-seeking approach of scholars globally. Electronic resources have been identified as the major sources of dissemination in universities, especially for researchers, the traditional sources are available in the four walls of the library, but the E-resources role is not only in the library but also at any time anywhere. These electronic resources have enhanced information retrieval and improved accessibility of quality academic materials. As a result, academic institutions such as universities have invested vast amounts of money to make the best use of these e-resources and currently research shows that, students have made little effort to utilize these resources. The general objective of this research was to design a framework that can enhance the usage and access of e-resources in the consortium of Uganda University Libraries. This was done through the design of a framework for effective usage and efficient access of e-resources in the consortium of Ugandan university libraries, and to validate the acceptability and usability of the developed framework. Mixed method was used entailing of qualitative and quantitative methods. Participants comprised of postgraduate students, Lecturers and library staff. Unified modeling language was used to design the access and usage framework. With the help of Unified Theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model designed questionnaire format and hypotheses were used in evaluating the acceptability and usability of the framework. This study will contribute to the theoretical understanding and awareness of electronic learning, access and usage of e-resources by providing a framework for effective access and efficiently usage of electronic resources.