Information Source Utilization and Service Effectiveness at Academic Library Settings: A Pilot Study on University Students' Perception

University libraries play a crucial role in higher education and research, providing a wide range of information resources in both print and electronic formats to meet the diverse needs of their users. A study was conducted to analyze the information usage patterns of postgraduate students and evaluate their satisfaction with library services through a survey of 300 respondents from three universities in Karnataka. Utilizing the Information Use Index (IUI) to track usage patterns and Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT) to assess satisfaction, the findings revealed that students primarily visit libraries for reading books, newspapers, and note-making. Among print sources, newspapers, textbooks, and magazines were the most favored, whereas e-books, e-journals, and databases were the top electronic sources. Students expressed high satisfaction with the core services of libraries but showed dissatisfaction with personalized services. The study highlights the need to enhance awareness regarding the resources and services available in libraries to better serve all students, particularly those who are currently less engaged.