ICT Infrastructure and Access to Online Services: Determining the Factors Affecting Faculty Satisfaction with University-Subscribed Resources

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the current status of IT facilities, access to online resources in the universities and the level of faculty satisfaction with university subscribed e-resources in Bangladesh. It employed two structured questionnaires for collecting data. The first questionnaire was sent to the library heads to obtain data about the current IT facilities, access to the online resources and the constraints faced by them in accessing e-resources. The second questionnaire was distributed to faculty member at public and private universities to assess their satisfaction and the difficulties that they encountered while accessing university’s online resources. Descriptive statistics were obtained with regard to university IT facilities, access to digital resources and the difficulties faced by the university libraries. Non-parametric statistical tests, such as Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis were carried out to identify the significant differences between and among faculty groups. Finally, an ordinal regression model was used to analyze the effects of demographic variables and computer experience level on faculty satisfaction. The library survey found that large university libraries had adequate IT facilities but the majority of the library heads stated they had problems such as inadequate financial support and lack of trained manpower. On the other hand, the faculty survey revealed that faculty members were not satisfied with the current level of e-resources that were subscribed by the libraries. Faculty members had difficulties in finding relevant information, access to e-resources from home and limited number of titles. There were no significant differences in the level of faculty satisfaction in terms of gender and designation but significant differences were found in case of university type. Few significant differences were found in terms of faculty age and teaching experience. However, significant differences were found in faculty satisfaction with regard to computer proficiency levels for several variables. The results of ordinal regression also showed university type and computer proficiency level do affect faculty satisfaction with university e-resources. This current study is significant as universities in Bangladesh are provided with better ICT facilities with access to new online resources and services. The paper proposes ways of enhancing access to e-resources and recommends appropriate corrective or regulatory measures to be taken.