The Extent to Which Students and Faculty Utilize Print and Electronic Resources in Kenya Medical Training College Libraries

Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish the extent to which students and faculty utilize print and electronic resources in Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) libraries. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among students and faculty in nine selected Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campuses. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study sites, with proportionate sampling employed for students and a census conducted for all available lecturers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 27. Descriptive statistics summarized the extent of print and electronic resource utilization, while chi-square tests examined associations between utilization and respondents' characteristics at a significance level of p < 0.05. Findings: The findings demonstrate high utilization of both resource formats, with electronic resources recording a higher utilization rate (94.1%) than print resources (82.7%). Chi-square analysis further revealed significant variations in print and electronic resource utilization across campuses, while respondent category was significantly associated with print resource utilization. The study concluded that both print and electronic resources are extensively utilized in KMTC libraries, although electronic resources have become the predominant source of scholarly information among students and faculty. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that the College should also standardize library services and resource provision across campuses to minimize disparities in utilization. Furthermore, strategies aimed at promoting regular library use, including user awareness programmes and information literacy training, should be enhanced to encourage optimal utilization of both print and electronic resources.