In the IT era, academic libraries and information center have radically changed the information environment higher education institution started subscribing to Electronic resource to meet the users expectation the paper discussed on impact of internet on the Annamalai University Library. The main aim of this survey was to understand more about research scholar usage of electronic resources and technology, their experience with technology and their aptitudes and expectation about technology resources and identify areas for improvement of services

Thanuskodi, S.

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
4-2011 
Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, 
Annamalainagar 
S. Thanuskodi 
Annamalai University, thanuskodi_s@yahoo.com 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac 
 Part of the Library and Information Science Commons 
Thanuskodi, S., "Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar" (2011). 
Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 632. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/632 
 http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/
Library Philosophy and Practice 2011
Internet Use by Researchers:
A Study of Annamalai
University, Annamalainagar
S. Thanuskodi
Lecturer,
Library & Information Science Wing, Directorate of Distance Education
Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar – 608 002
Introduction
There has been a more change in academic libraries because of the revolution in
e-resources. The networked information and access to information resources
rather than holdings have become the order of the day, all over the world
academic libraries besides, individuals subscribe electronic journals to meet their
expectation. Academic libraries of all sizes and types are embracing digital
collection, although most libraries will continue to offer both print and digital
collections for many years to come. New purchases and purchases of journals,
magazines, and abstracting and indexing services are heavily weighted towards
digital, while digital books (e-books) are only beginning to become a present library
collection. Libraries prefer digital resources for many reasons such as digital
collection save the space and are relatively easy to maintain.
Growth of Electronic Resources
The most rapidly changing pervasive and publicized aspects of library and
information studies are the electronic resources. In a relatively short period of the
time, Electronic resource have expanded from a few dozen computerized
bibliographies databases to include the over whelming information available on the
Internet use of Electronic resource has moved from accessing online databases
with a dumb terminal to surfing the world wide web with a high speed multimedia
personal computer that has more power than the early main frame computers.
The complexity of electronic resource has grown to comprise of library online
catalogue list of CD-Rom, online journals, database, newspapers, reference
materials open access journals, e-books, major publishers and online bookshops
amounting to the Electronic resource is not easy, or so it appears, at the same
time there is a pressing need for guidance in the use of such resources.
Advantage of Electronic Resources
Electronic information resource offers enormous benefits. They provide users
faster, more convenient, 24 hours desktop access from home and college campus
or library as well as special features such as hypertext link to related information
graphics, audio, video and animation. These resources also offer benefits to
libraries. They don't take up valuable space on library shelves; they can't be stolen
or destroyed and depending on the licenses agreement, information at the same
time.
Disadvantage of Electronic Resources
The college and university libraries face enormous challenges and opportunities.
The amount of information that libraries need to acquire continues to increase the
resources available are insufficient. The libraries face a number of problems
relating to the new media that are yet to be resolved. Subscriptions to material in
electronic forms are more expensive than subscription to material in traditional
printed form. In some cases, not only an additional monitory payment to acquire
both formats, there are considerable additional expenses in providing staff and
infrastructure to acquire the paper copy and the electronic version.
ICT Developments at Annamalai University
Annamalai University is a unitary, teaching and residential university. It was
founded by the munificence of the farsighted and noble hearted philanthropist and
patron of letters the late Hon'ble Dr. Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar of Chettinad, Kt,
LL.D., D.Litt. He started several colleges and ultimately the University in 1929.
Since its inception, it has progressively tried to realize the aims of the noble
Founder Pro-Chancellor. After him, his illustrious son Padma Bhushan Dr. Rajah
Sir Muthiah Chettiar of Chettinad, was the Pro-Chancellor from 1948 to 1984 and
he sedulously nurtured the growth and development of the University. The present
Pro-Chancellor Dr.M.A.M. Ramaswamy, a philanthropist and a patron of sports, is
the distinguished son of Dr.Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar. The University has had the
unique good fortune of having a succession of eminent Vice-Chancellors to guide
its destinies. During the last eighty years the University has grown rapidly and
consolidated its position as a unitary and residential University with Forty nine
Departments of Study and over 2,500 members on its teaching staff.
Annamalainagar is already a busy and full-fledged University town east of
Chidambaram, the abode of Lord Nataraja. The University campus, including the
colleges, hostels and playgrounds occupies an area of about thousand acres.
Main Library
The seed of the main library germinated in 1920 with a token deposit of 200
books, when Sri Meenakshi College was founded. Then main was initially housed
in the eastern wing of the Administrative building. It moved into its present abode
in 1959, opening a new chapter in its history. The building was designed by
internationally reputed architects namely Messers. Prynne, Abbot and Davis and
the building was named after the former Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University,
Dr. C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar, in recognition of his valuable services to the country
and to this university. The present building was opened by His Excellency Shri.
Bishnuram Medhi, the then Governor of Madras, on 22nd October, 1959. Within a
built-in area of about 36,000 Sq.ft. The buildingis a 'H' shaped structure, with a
well controlled entrance lobby, a spacious Central Reading Hall, Reference Hall,
Periodicals hall, and Bindery on the Eastern wing and Administrative Sections,
closed access stack-rooms, Reprographic Section in the Western wing and open
access stack rooms on both the wings.
The Annamalai University Library has the unique privilege of being selected as a
full-fledged Depository for the World Bank Publications ever since 1986, and
through this offer, our library gets the entire publications of the Bank at free of
cost, and it is getting renewed every two years, based on the utility of the
collections. The World Bank Cell is kept opened in all working days for reference.
The photocopy service available inside the library is useful for the researchers to
get Xerox copy of the collections. The compact discs (CD), contain information
collected by the International Bank for reconstruction and development and the
index of publications & guide to Information Products, and services of the World
Bank are available in discs.
The Library is one of the few University Libraries in the country to have
modernized its entire operations. The automation project was started in the year
1995 with special grant of fifty lakhs rupees received from the UGC-INFLIBNET.
Through the following facilities, the user community will have unique advantage of
availing of the library services round the clock. Online Public Access Catalogue
(OPAC), Internet Service, CD-ROM Service.
Literature Review
Schleyer, Spallek, and Torres-Urguidy (1998) examined a profile of current Internet
users in dentistry (that is, professionals who either subscribed to dental discussion
lists or who frequented dental websites with high traffic) dentists, assistants,
hygienists, dental students, and educators. The study reported that respondents
used the Internet for discussing clinical cases, obtaining diagnostic and therapeutic
information, buying dental products, communicating with patients, and participating
in continuing education. A majority of the respondents (80%) considered the
Internet to be a useful or very useful resource in dentistry.
Nicholas, et al. (2003) conducted a study in the UK to examine the use of the web
for health information and advice. More than 1,300 people were surveyed. The
study showed that 66% of the respondents accessed the Internet from home, 28%
from work, and the remainder (6%) used a combination of both work and home.
Maheswarappa and Emmanuel (2003) identified an exploratory study at Gulbarga
city, showing a high rate of computer knowledge. Mahajan (2006) conducted a
study on internet use by researchers in Punjab University, Chandigrah, which
analyzed how the convergence of information and communication technologies, as
embodied by the Internet, has transformed the present day society into a
knowledge society. Chandran (2000) carry out a study on the use of Internet
resources and services in S.V. University, Tirupati, indicating that more than 56
percent of respondents used to the Internet to access information. Kaur (2000)
studied Guru Nanak Dev University, and Bavakutty and Salih (1999) conducted a
survey at Calicut University, which showed that students, research scholars, and
faculty members used the Internet on education and research purpose.
Madhusudhan (2007) conducted a survey on Internet use by research scholars at
Delhi University, which revealed that most respondents used search engines more
than subject gateways or web directories to locate information. Negative attitudes
as well as conservatism act as barriers to effective Internet use.
Asemi (2005) did a case study of Medical Sciences University of Isfahan (MUI),
Iran. The results of the study showed that all the respondents used the Internet
frequently because all faculties had an Internet connection. It was revealed that
the researchers of the university were getting quality health information and patient
care through the Internet. Fifty-five percent of respondents searched for scientific
health information through the Internet because the university library provided
access to databases and online journals students and staff.
Ajuwon (2006) conducted a study of the physicians' use of the Internet for health
information for patient care at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan,
Nigeria. The findings revealed that 98% of the respondents had used the Internet.
A majority (76%) accessed the Internet from cyber cafes. Ninety percent reported
that they had obtained information from the Internet for patient care; of this
number, 76.2% had searched a database.
Chestnutt and Reynolds (2006) conducted a study of 457 dentists in Wales to
identify how patient information on the Internet has influenced the delivery of oral
care and the use practitioners make of the Internet. Thirty-nine percent of
respondents agreed that information gained from the Internet had led to patients
demanding inappropriate care.
Objectives of the Study
The study generally aims to analyze the Internet use by the science and social
science research scholars of Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Specific
objectives are:
Investigate how respondents acquired Internet skills.
Access respondents' experience in the use of Internet.
Determine the frequency of Internet use.
Determine the amount of the time spent on the Internet.
Find out the awareness about electronic resources
Methodology
The aim of the present survey was to study the use of the Internet by the
researchers at Annamalai University, Chidambaram in all the three fields of
knowledge – Sciences, Social Sciences and humanities, so as to determine its
impact on their academic routine. For this purpose, 100 questionnaires were
distributed, 50 to researchers in sciences and 50 to researchers in social sciences.
This was in proportion to the total number of researchers working in these fields.
The results of the survey indicate:
Findings and Recommendations
The Researchers in Sciences are more positive about the use of Internet and its
impact on their educational experience. All of them (100%) have a positive attitude
toward the Internet and feel comfortable gaining information through it for
academic and personal purposes. About 60 % of researchers in social sciences
also agree with the importance of Internet's information resources.
Nearly 65 % of the researchers in sciences use the Internet facility provided in
their respective departments, where as 35% go to cybercafés to have an access of
Internet. 55 % of the researchers who use Internet in social sciences use Internet
in their respective departments whereas 45 % of them use cybercafés.
80 % of the Internet use is for academic purposes by the researchers in science,
whereas only 45 % in social sciences use it for academic purposes.
Nearly 70 % of researchers in sciences use the Internet for 5-6 hours per seek
whereas about 30 % use it for about 10-12 hours per week. In the social sciences,
85 % of the researchers use it for 2-3 hours per week and 15 % for about an hour
per week.
About 90 % of the researchers in the sciences have gone online to find information
from the e-journals that are available through the university library whereas only
45 % in social sciences are using such a facility.
100 % of researchers in the sciences frequently look for emails whereas 72 % of
researchers in the social sciences have email accounts.
Only 30 % of researchers in the sciences subscribe to academically – oriented
mailing lists, whereas 13 % of social science researchers are doing so.
Only 35 % of the researchers in the sciences have published their papers in e-
journals, where as only 15 % of the researchers in the social sciences have
published their papers in e-journals.
Totally 80 % of researchers in the sciences also use the Internet for seeking jobs
online, with 35 % in the case of researchers in social sciences.
About 70 % of the researchers in the sciences, 25 % in the social sciences use
document delivery services provided by various information / documentation
centers.
Most of the researchers in sciences 70 % and social sciences 85 % started using
Internet only after joining the university.
Around 95 % of the researchers in sciences who use the Internet agreed that
Internet use had a positive impact on their study and research. 47 % of the
researchers in social sciences agree with them.
The majority of the researchers in sciences and social sciences who use Internet
for acquiring information use search engines such as Yahoo, Google, Infoseek and
msn.
Recommendations
The University administration should as a matter of urgency put create
programmes and infrastructures to train its staff on ICT with particular
reference to the use of Internet facilities.
Staff should be encouraged to the Internet facilities on campus, which will
justify the large investment
There is need to develop knowledge about use of electronic theses and
dissertations, technical reports, patents, etc., available online.
Efforts should be made to increase the speed of the Internet access and
shorten the time it takes to view and download web pages.
Information regarding the popular and the latest websites with their
addresses should be displayed on the notice board in the computer lab.
Conclusion
The Internet as medium of communication is useful in the higher education. It is
important that Annamali University maintain the Virtual Learning Resource Centre
with all necessary technology, for the effective use of information in higher
education and research. It is evident from the result that Internet is the sciences
are making maximum use of Internet facility provided by the university; however,
researchers in other fields still rely on bibliographies and printed journals. The
academic staff should encourage the use of electronic information sources for
study and research. The librarians should provide proper training in the use of
online information sources.
References
1. Maheswarappa, B.S., & Ebnazar, C.E. (2003). Use of Internet resources and
services in Gulbarga City: An exploratory study. SRELS Journal of Information
Management 40 (4): 409-420.
2. Ajuwon, Grace A. " Use of the Internet for health information by physicians for
patient care in a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria ." Biomedical Digital Libraries
3.12 (2006). Available: http://www.biodiglib. com/content/3/1/12
3. Asemi, Asefeh. "Information Searching Habits of Internet Users: A Case Study
on the Medical Sciences University of Isfahan (MUI), Iran ." Webology 2.1 (2005).
9 Aug. 2005 < http://www.webology.ir/2005/v2n1/a10.html#9 >.
4. Chestnutt, I.G. and Reynolds, K. "How Has the Internet Affected Dentistry."
British Dental Journal . 2006. Available:
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v200/n3/full/4813196a.html
5. Nicholas, David, et al. "The British and Their Use of the Web for Health
Information and Advice: A Survey." Aslib Proceedings 5.6 (2003) 258-260.
6. Bavakutty, M., & Salih Muhamad, T.K. (1999). Internet services in Calicut
University. Conference, Academic Libraries in the Internet Era . Ahemdabad, India.
Proceedings of the 6th National Convention on Academic Libraries in the Internet
Era. pp 37-44.
7. Rajeev Kumar and Amritpal Kaur. Internet Use by Teachers and Students in
Engineering Colleges of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh States of India:
An Analysis. 7.1 (2006) Available:
8. Kumar, R., & Kaur, A. (2006). Internet use by teachers and students in
engineering colleges of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh States of India:
An analysis. Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 7 (1):1-13.
9. Manmart, L. (2001). Impact of Internet on schools of Library and Information
Science in Thailand. 67th IFLA Council and General Conference August 16-25
2001. Available: http://www.ifla.org./IV/ifla67/papers.html
10. http://annamalaiuniversity.ac.in
11. "Use of the Internet and Electronic Resources for Dental Science Information:
A Case Study," Dr. Rajeev Manhas. Library Philosophy and Practice 2008
(September).


Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal) Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln 4-2011 Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar S. Thanuskodi Annamalai University, thanuskodi_s@yahoo.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac  Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Thanuskodi, S., "Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar" (2011). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 632. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/632  http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/Library Philosophy and Practice 2011Internet Use by Researchers:A Study of AnnamalaiUniversity, AnnamalainagarS. ThanuskodiLecturer,Library & Information Science Wing, Directorate of Distance EducationAnnamalai University, Annamalai Nagar – 608 002IntroductionThere has been a more change in academic libraries because of the revolution ine-resources. The networked information and access to information resourcesrather than holdings have become the order of the day, all over the worldacademic libraries besides, individuals subscribe electronic journals to meet theirexpectation. Academic libraries of all sizes and types are embracing digitalcollection, although most libraries will continue to offer both print and digitalcollections for many years to come. New purchases and purchases of journals,magazines, and abstracting and indexing services are heavily weighted towardsdigital, while digital books (e-books) are only beginning to become a present librarycollection. Libraries prefer digital resources for many reasons such as digitalcollection save the space and are relatively easy to maintain.Growth of Electronic ResourcesThe most rapidly changing pervasive and publicized aspects of library andinformation studies are the electronic resources. In a relatively short period of thetime, Electronic resource have expanded from a few dozen computerizedbibliographies databases to include the over whelming information available on theInternet use of Electronic resource has moved from accessing online databaseswith a dumb terminal to surfing the world wide web with a high speed multimediapersonal computer that has more power than the early main frame computers.The complexity of electronic resource has grown to comprise of library onlinecatalogue list of CD-Rom, online journals, database, newspapers, referencematerials open access journals, e-books, major publishers and online bookshopsamounting to the Electronic resource is not easy, or so it appears, at the sametime there is a pressing need for guidance in the use of such resources.Advantage of Electronic ResourcesElectronic information resource offers enormous benefits. They provide usersfaster, more convenient, 24 hours desktop access from home and college campusor library as well as special features such as hypertext link to related informationgraphics, audio, video and animation. These resources also offer benefits tolibraries. They don't take up valuable space on library shelves; they can't be stolenor destroyed and depending on the licenses agreement, information at the sametime.Disadvantage of Electronic ResourcesThe college and university libraries face enormous challenges and opportunities.The amount of information that libraries need to acquire continues to increase theresources available are insufficient. The libraries face a number of problemsrelating to the new media that are yet to be resolved. Subscriptions to material inelectronic forms are more expensive than subscription to material in traditionalprinted form. In some cases, not only an additional monitory payment to acquireboth formats, there are considerable additional expenses in providing staff andinfrastructure to acquire the paper copy and the electronic version.ICT Developments at Annamalai UniversityAnnamalai University is a unitary, teaching and residential university. It wasfounded by the munificence of the farsighted and noble hearted philanthropist andpatron of letters the late Hon'ble Dr. Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar of Chettinad, Kt,LL.D., D.Litt. He started several colleges and ultimately the University in 1929.Since its inception, it has progressively tried to realize the aims of the nobleFounder Pro-Chancellor. After him, his illustrious son Padma Bhushan Dr. RajahSir Muthiah Chettiar of Chettinad, was the Pro-Chancellor from 1948 to 1984 andhe sedulously nurtured the growth and development of the University. The presentPro-Chancellor Dr.M.A.M. Ramaswamy, a philanthropist and a patron of sports, isthe distinguished son of Dr.Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar. The University has had theunique good fortune of having a succession of eminent Vice-Chancellors to guideits destinies. During the last eighty years the University has grown rapidly andconsolidated its position as a unitary and residential University with Forty nineDepartments of Study and over 2,500 members on its teaching staff.Annamalainagar is already a busy and full-fledged University town east ofChidambaram, the abode of Lord Nataraja. The University campus, including thecolleges, hostels and playgrounds occupies an area of about thousand acres.Main LibraryThe seed of the main library germinated in 1920 with a token deposit of 200books, when Sri Meenakshi College was founded. Then main was initially housedin the eastern wing of the Administrative building. It moved into its present abodein 1959, opening a new chapter in its history. The building was designed byinternationally reputed architects namely Messers. Prynne, Abbot and Davis andthe building was named after the former Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University,Dr. C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar, in recognition of his valuable services to the countryand to this university. The present building was opened by His Excellency Shri.Bishnuram Medhi, the then Governor of Madras, on 22nd October, 1959. Within abuilt-in area of about 36,000 Sq.ft. The buildingis a 'H' shaped structure, with awell controlled entrance lobby, a spacious Central Reading Hall, Reference Hall,Periodicals hall, and Bindery on the Eastern wing and Administrative Sections,closed access stack-rooms, Reprographic Section in the Western wing and openaccess stack rooms on both the wings.The Annamalai University Library has the unique privilege of being selected as afull-fledged Depository for the World Bank Publications ever since 1986, andthrough this offer, our library gets the entire publications of the Bank at free ofcost, and it is getting renewed every two years, based on the utility of thecollections. The World Bank Cell is kept opened in all working days for reference.The photocopy service available inside the library is useful for the researchers toget Xerox copy of the collections. The compact discs (CD), contain informationcollected by the International Bank for reconstruction and development and theindex of publications & guide to Information Products, and services of the WorldBank are available in discs.The Library is one of the few University Libraries in the country to havemodernized its entire operations. The automation project was started in the year1995 with special grant of fifty lakhs rupees received from the UGC-INFLIBNET.Through the following facilities, the user community will have unique advantage ofavailing of the library services round the clock. Online Public Access Catalogue(OPAC), Internet Service, CD-ROM Service.Literature ReviewSchleyer, Spallek, and Torres-Urguidy (1998) examined a profile of current Internetusers in dentistry (that is, professionals who either subscribed to dental discussionlists or who frequented dental websites with high traffic) dentists, assistants,hygienists, dental students, and educators. The study reported that respondentsused the Internet for discussing clinical cases, obtaining diagnostic and therapeuticinformation, buying dental products, communicating with patients, and participatingin continuing education. A majority of the respondents (80%) considered theInternet to be a useful or very useful resource in dentistry.Nicholas, et al. (2003) conducted a study in the UK to examine the use of the webfor health information and advice. More than 1,300 people were surveyed. Thestudy showed that 66% of the respondents accessed the Internet from home, 28%from work, and the remainder (6%) used a combination of both work and home.Maheswarappa and Emmanuel (2003) identified an exploratory study at Gulbargacity, showing a high rate of computer knowledge. Mahajan (2006) conducted astudy on internet use by researchers in Punjab University, Chandigrah, whichanalyzed how the convergence of information and communication technologies, asembodied by the Internet, has transformed the present day society into aknowledge society. Chandran (2000) carry out a study on the use of Internetresources and services in S.V. University, Tirupati, indicating that more than 56percent of respondents used to the Internet to access information. Kaur (2000)studied Guru Nanak Dev University, and Bavakutty and Salih (1999) conducted asurvey at Calicut University, which showed that students, research scholars, andfaculty members used the Internet on education and research purpose.Madhusudhan (2007) conducted a survey on Internet use by research scholars atDelhi University, which revealed that most respondents used search engines morethan subject gateways or web directories to locate information. Negative attitudesas well as conservatism act as barriers to effective Internet use.Asemi (2005) did a case study of Medical Sciences University of Isfahan (MUI),Iran. The results of the study showed that all the respondents used the Internetfrequently because all faculties had an Internet connection. It was revealed thatthe researchers of the university were getting quality health information and patientcare through the Internet. Fifty-five percent of respondents searched for scientifichealth information through the Internet because the university library providedaccess to databases and online journals students and staff.Ajuwon (2006) conducted a study of the physicians' use of the Internet for healthinformation for patient care at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan,Nigeria. The findings revealed that 98% of the respondents had used the Internet.A majority (76%) accessed the Internet from cyber cafes. Ninety percent reportedthat they had obtained information from the Internet for patient care; of thisnumber, 76.2% had searched a database.Chestnutt and Reynolds (2006) conducted a study of 457 dentists in Wales toidentify how patient information on the Internet has influenced the delivery of oralcare and the use practitioners make of the Internet. Thirty-nine percent ofrespondents agreed that information gained from the Internet had led to patientsdemanding inappropriate care.Objectives of the StudyThe study generally aims to analyze the Internet use by the science and socialscience research scholars of Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Specificobjectives are:Investigate how respondents acquired Internet skills.Access respondents' experience in the use of Internet.Determine the frequency of Internet use.Determine the amount of the time spent on the Internet.Find out the awareness about electronic resourcesMethodologyThe aim of the present survey was to study the use of the Internet by theresearchers at Annamalai University, Chidambaram in all the three fields ofknowledge – Sciences, Social Sciences and humanities, so as to determine itsimpact on their academic routine. For this purpose, 100 questionnaires weredistributed, 50 to researchers in sciences and 50 to researchers in social sciences.This was in proportion to the total number of researchers working in these fields.The results of the survey indicate:Findings and RecommendationsThe Researchers in Sciences are more positive about the use of Internet and itsimpact on their educational experience. All of them (100%) have a positive attitudetoward the Internet and feel comfortable gaining information through it foracademic and personal purposes. About 60 % of researchers in social sciencesalso agree with the importance of Internet's information resources.Nearly 65 % of the researchers in sciences use the Internet facility provided intheir respective departments, where as 35% go to cybercafés to have an access ofInternet. 55 % of the researchers who use Internet in social sciences use Internetin their respective departments whereas 45 % of them use cybercafés.80 % of the Internet use is for academic purposes by the researchers in science,whereas only 45 % in social sciences use it for academic purposes.Nearly 70 % of researchers in sciences use the Internet for 5-6 hours per seekwhereas about 30 % use it for about 10-12 hours per week. In the social sciences,85 % of the researchers use it for 2-3 hours per week and 15 % for about an hourper week.About 90 % of the researchers in the sciences have gone online to find informationfrom the e-journals that are available through the university library whereas only45 % in social sciences are using such a facility.100 % of researchers in the sciences frequently look for emails whereas 72 % ofresearchers in the social sciences have email accounts.Only 30 % of researchers in the sciences subscribe to academically – orientedmailing lists, whereas 13 % of social science researchers are doing so.Only 35 % of the researchers in the sciences have published their papers in e-journals, where as only 15 % of the researchers in the social sciences havepublished their papers in e-journals.Totally 80 % of researchers in the sciences also use the Internet for seeking jobsonline, with 35 % in the case of researchers in social sciences.About 70 % of the researchers in the sciences, 25 % in the social sciences usedocument delivery services provided by various information / documentationcenters.Most of the researchers in sciences 70 % and social sciences 85 % started usingInternet only after joining the university.Around 95 % of the researchers in sciences who use the Internet agreed thatInternet use had a positive impact on their study and research. 47 % of theresearchers in social sciences agree with them.The majority of the researchers in sciences and social sciences who use Internetfor acquiring information use search engines such as Yahoo, Google, Infoseek andmsn.RecommendationsThe University administration should as a matter of urgency put createprogrammes and infrastructures to train its staff on ICT with particularreference to the use of Internet facilities.Staff should be encouraged to the Internet facilities on campus, which willjustify the large investmentThere is need to develop knowledge about use of electronic theses anddissertations, technical reports, patents, etc., available online.Efforts should be made to increase the speed of the Internet access andshorten the time it takes to view and download web pages.Information regarding the popular and the latest websites with theiraddresses should be displayed on the notice board in the computer lab.ConclusionThe Internet as medium of communication is useful in the higher education. It isimportant that Annamali University maintain the Virtual Learning Resource Centrewith all necessary technology, for the effective use of information in highereducation and research. It is evident from the result that Internet is the sciencesare making maximum use of Internet facility provided by the university; however,researchers in other fields still rely on bibliographies and printed journals. Theacademic staff should encourage the use of electronic information sources forstudy and research. The librarians should provide proper training in the use ofonline information sources.References1. Maheswarappa, B.S., & Ebnazar, C.E. (2003). Use of Internet resources andservices in Gulbarga City: An exploratory study. SRELS Journal of InformationManagement 40 (4): 409-420.2. Ajuwon, Grace A. " Use of the Internet for health information by physicians forpatient care in a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria ." Biomedical Digital Libraries3.12 (2006). Available: http://www.biodiglib. com/content/3/1/123. Asemi, Asefeh. "Information Searching Habits of Internet Users: A Case Studyon the Medical Sciences University of Isfahan (MUI), Iran ." Webology 2.1 (2005).9 Aug. 2005 < http://www.webology.ir/2005/v2n1/a10.html#9 >.4. Chestnutt, I.G. and Reynolds, K. "How Has the Internet Affected Dentistry."British Dental Journal . 2006. Available:http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v200/n3/full/4813196a.html5. Nicholas, David, et al. "The British and Their Use of the Web for HealthInformation and Advice: A Survey." Aslib Proceedings 5.6 (2003) 258-260.6. Bavakutty, M., & Salih Muhamad, T.K. (1999). Internet services in CalicutUniversity. Conference, Academic Libraries in the Internet Era . Ahemdabad, India.Proceedings of the 6th National Convention on Academic Libraries in the InternetEra. pp 37-44.7. Rajeev Kumar and Amritpal Kaur. Internet Use by Teachers and Students inEngineering Colleges of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh States of India:An Analysis. 7.1 (2006) Available:8. Kumar, R., & Kaur, A. (2006). Internet use by teachers and students inengineering colleges of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh States of India:An analysis. Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 7 (1):1-13.9. Manmart, L. (2001). Impact of Internet on schools of Library and InformationScience in Thailand. 67th IFLA Council and General Conference August 16-252001. Available: http://www.ifla.org./IV/ifla67/papers.html10. http://annamalaiuniversity.ac.in11. "Use of the Internet and Electronic Resources for Dental Science Information:A Case Study," Dr. Rajeev Manhas. Library Philosophy and Practice 2008(September).

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Internet Use by Researchers: A Study of Annamalai University, Annamalainagar

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