Abstract

An analysis of selected agricultural and food e-resources at UWI Mona Campus indicate only a small percentage of students and lecturers are utilizing these.

These statistics are alarming for a number of reasons, namely: (a) the high cost of these e-resources; (b) the value in e-resources as posited by authors; (c) the reality that e-resources are a feature of the Web 2.0 age in which we currently reside; (d) and quality reviewers’ and accreditation board members’ expectations of universities to provide e-resources. If it is that e-resources are so valuable and are a feature of the Web 2.0 era and yet they are being underutilized, this has clear implications for research throughput in respect of such matters as: term papers, lectures and publications in agricultural and food sciences. Additionally, the low usage threatens the viability of continuing the provision of these e-resources at UWI. Using the UWI Mona Campus population this paper seeks to provide an understanding of the reasons for the current usage patterns; the implications for collection management as well as for research throughput; and the ways in which greater usage can be encouraged.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food E-Resources, University of the West Indies (UWI), E-Resources

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License

Copyright (c) 2013 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to Cite

Harris, S. Y. (2013). Agricultural and Food E-Resources Usage at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus. Information World, 14(1), 141-162. https://doi.org/10.15612/BD.2013.139