Access to and Use of E-Resources by Research Scientists in Ghana : A Case Study Of Food Research And Animal Research Institutes

The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of knowledge, effectiveness of use, frequency of use and challenges in the use of e-resources among the agricultural research scientist in Ghana. This study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model which presents a model that examine the relationship between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitudes and behavioral usage of other information technologies in recent years. Research design for this study was a case study approach. Data collection involved questionnaires administered to 68 agricultural research scientists, which was supplemented with interviews with Directors of the Institutes. The Study concluded that adequate provision should be made on user education to make scientists aware of various e-resources that are available to enhance usage. Secondly there is the need for increment in the bandwidth of the Internet connectivity and was therefore recommended that, there should be specific budgetary allocation on e-resources to improve e-resources facilities in agricultural libraries since scientists are known to have preference for electronic resources over print resources.