READIT - 2009 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

Proceedings of READIT-2009, Kalpakkam - 603 102, 29-30 Dec 2009
Use of e-journals by engineering college students and
faculties in Karur District: A survey report
G.Sasireka
Research Scholar (PT), Anna University, Chennai-25.
Email: sasireka_mlis@yahoo.co.in.
ABSTRACT
This study attempts to find out the familiarity, popularity and utility of e-journals to the users of
engineering colleges in Karur District. This paper highlight the various aspects like awareness of the users,
user satisfaction, use pattern of e-resources, preference for print or electronic version, etc. finally on the basis
of the findings follows the data analysis and interpretation which are collected through the questionnaire cum
interview method.
1. INTRODUCTION
User’s increasing demand for electronic access to journals and the maturing of the
electronic journal industry are contributing to the trend of shifting away from print journals to
electronic journals. For over a decade traditional print journal collections in all types of
libraries have been transitioning into hybrid journal collections. The resulting hybrid journal
collections provide access to journals subscribed to as print-only, as electronic-only, or in
both print and electronic formats, as well as access to selected, full-text journal articles in
aggregators databases. This study examines the usage of e-journals by the users of
engineering colleges in Karur District.
2. ELECTRONIC JOURNALS
Electronic journals are simply serial publications in which the end products are made
available in digital format and whose contents are may or may not be peer- reviewed. Two
media, i.e., the CD-ROM and the internet, are used for the dissemination of the e-journal.
Presently e-journals have become the largest and fastest growing part of the digital
collections for most of libraries. For instance, the e-journals a few years ago numbered just
few hundreds of titles, are now running in many thousands and the rate of growth is
phenomenal as well as amazing. The advancements in digital technologies and the recent
proliferation of e-publishing across the world have brought in a revolution in journal
publication, subscription, and access delivery mechanism. E-journals are the electronic
equivalents of their print counter parts possessing numerous additional features. E-journals
often referred to interchangeably as “Electronic Serials”, “Online Journals” and “Electronic
Periodicals”
3. FEATURES OF THE E-JOURNAL
E-journals are becoming increasingly in demand both as a means of rapid desktop access
to current research materials and as a way to view past volumes. E-journals offer a range of
potential advantages to libraries and end-users:
Allows remote access
Can be used simultaneously by more than one user
Provide timely access and at a 24 / 7 / 365 formula
Supports different searching capabilities
Accommodate unique features
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