PERCEPTION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS ON THE USE OF THE INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, TAMALE, GHANA

Abstract

This study examined the perception of graduate students in the use of the institutional repositories particularly in relation to the institutional repository of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana. The study examined the level of students’ awareness, attitude towards the IR, level of use and level of satisfaction, and the challenges facing them in their utilisation of the UDS IR. The study adopted the descriptive survey approach and was conducted on the four campuses of the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Wa, Navrongo, Nyankpala and Tamale in May, 2019. A total of 104 copies of a questionnaire were distributed to graduate students based on random sampling and 88 copies of the questionnaire were completed and returned. Only 85 copies were found usable and thus were used for the analysis. The study revealed that 67% of the respondents were aware of the IR. However, utilization was only occasional among them. The study also revealed that majority (75%) of graduate students use the IR to access theses and dissertations. The lack of awareness creation about the IR and the inadequate ICT connection and infrastructure were the challenges that hinder effective use of the IR. The study suggests that library orientation should be organised to educate graduate students on the benefits of using the IR for their studies especially in doing research. The study also recommended improvement in ICT infrastructure to ease access to the IR. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) short videos could be put on the IR interface and the Library website to guide students on how to use the IR.

Keywords: Institutional Repository, Perception, Graduate students, Utilization, University for Development Studies, Ghana