Information seeking behavior of Research
Scholars: a case study of Maulana Azad
National Urdu University, Hyderabad
By
Minhaj Fatima
Information Scientist
Maulana Azad National Urdu University,
Hyderabad
minhajnadeem115@gmail.com
Introduction
 The
library collection is slowly shifting
from print to electronic form.
 The
term “Information Seeking
behavior” involves a set of actions like
information needs, seek information,
evaluate and select information and
finally use this information to satisfy
individual’s information needs.
There are various factors that
determine the information seeking
behavior of an individual and it is
necessary to understand the need and
purpose for which information is
required, various channels and
sources preferred for acquiring
information
and
barriers
to
information.
Information is needed by everyone in every
sphere of life. It is a vital source for overall
development of the society.
Libraries play a vital role in meeting the
information needs of the individuals in the
society.
Libraries
access,
store
and
disseminate the information to satisfy
the needs of the users.
In order to accomplish this task
effectively, libraries must have a
thorough understanding of the
information needs and information
seeking behavior of their users.
Need
An attempt has been made in this study to
find out the information needs and
information seeking behavior of research
scholars of MANUU in the digital era.
Scope
The
scope of the study is
limited to students and
research scholars only.
Objectives of the study
 To
study the gender wise profile of
users.
 To understand the purpose of using
Web resources.
 To understand the preference for
specific e-journals and online
databases.
 To know the frequency of use of online
databases.
To know the satisfaction regarding the
availability of online database.
To know the quality of E-resources.
To know the users opinion regarding the
satisfaction of data collection from electronic
resources.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE MAULANA
AZAD NATIONAL URDU UNIVERSITY

To promote
Language.
and
develop
Urdu

To
provide
education
through
conventional teaching and the distance
education system.
Table 1: Gender and category
S.No.
Category Male
Female
Total
1.
P.G.
15
03
18%
Phil. 20
12
32%
18
46%
63
33
96 (100%)
(65.6%)
(34.4%)
Students
2.
M.
Scholars
3.
Ph.
D. 28
Scholars
TOTAL
Table 2: Purpose of using Web
resources
S.No.
Purpose
Response
Total
1.
Access E-journals
05
5%
2.
Access E-books
04
4%
3.
Research work
02
2%
4.
Browsing Internet
23
24%
5.
For chatting
20
21%
6.
Access Face book
19
20%
7.
General Knowledge
03
3%
8.
Access Emails
20
21%
96
100%
TOTAL
Table 3: Users most preferred ejournals and online databases
S.No.
Preferred
Response
Percentage
online database
1.
JSTOR
28
29.17%
2.
Sage online
17
17.71%
3.
Springer Link
25
26.04%
4.
Cambridge
04
4.17%
22
22.91%
96
100%
Online
5.
TOTAL
E-books
Table 4: Frequency of use of online
Databases
S.No.
Use of Online Databases
Response
Percentage
1.
Everyday
10
10.4%
2.
Weekly
32
33.4%
3.
Fortnightly
16
16.6%
4.
Monthly
22
23%
5.
Rarely
16
16.6%
96
100%
TOTAL
Table 5: Satisfaction regarding the
availability of Online databases
S.No.
Satisfaction
of
Online Response
Percentage
databases
1.
Good
49
51.%
2.
Average
33
34.4%
3.
Poor
14
14.6%
96
100%
TOTAL
Table 6: Quality of E-resources
S.No.
Quality of E- Response
Percentage
resources
1.
Good
46
48%
2.
Average
43
44.7%
3.
Poor
07
7.3%
96
100%
TOTAL
Table7: Is it easy or difficult to
collect data from e-resources
S.No.
Satisfaction regarding data Response
Percentage
collection from E-resources
1.
Easy
37
39%
2.
Average
59
61%
3.
Difficult
0
0%
96
100%
TOTAL
Conclusion
 The
study revealed that E-resources were
extensively used by male respondents as
compared to the female.
 It was observed that majority of the
respondents use the e-resources for browsing,
chatting, accessing e-mails etc. Very few of
them use it for their research work purpose.
 The frequency of use of these resources is
monthly, fortnightly, and weekly. Very few
users refer these resources every day.
The study shows that ICT has transformed
the information seeking behaviour of the users
who have been using the traditional services
to online environment.
Online learning provides a new set of ICT
tools that can add value to the traditional
process of learning.
 The application of ICT has greatly
enhanced the use of the electronic resources at
Maulana Azad National Urdu University
Library.
Thank You