Perceptions of LIS professionals regarding use of Pakistan National Digital Library databases

This study sets out to investigate the perceptions of LIS professionals regarding the usage and satisfaction of the Pakistani Higher Education Commission (HEC) National Digital Library (NDL) databases. The NDL Programme provides free access to electronic resources (30 full text databases including 24,000 peer reviewed online journals and e‐books) of world‐renowned publishers to public and private sector universities and non‐profitable research and development organizations, in Pakistan.

The study used a multi‐method approach. The data‐gathering techniques used for the study were an online survey, group interviews, and observation. A total of 75 people from 40 institutions responded to the survey.

The findings reveal that younger professionals showed more interest in the use of databases. A majority of users accessed these databases through the HEC web site. The respondents were more satisfied with electronic journals and were least satisfied with e‐books. It was found that the resources of HEC NDL are underused. HEC NDL needs to develop a promotional strategy and a feedback mechanism with the assistance of LIS professionals to improve its usage, because they have better knowledge of the information needs of their potential clients.

The findings of the study and their implications will be helpful for universities and HEC authorities, as well as decision makers and LIS faculty, both in Pakistan and elsewhere.

The study is the first of its kind and thus a useful source for learning the perceptions of LIS professionals about this Pakistani programme.