Comparative Study of Library and Internet Use as a Source of Information by Graduate Students of the University for Development Studies, Ghana

Source of academic information is very relevant to graduate students. Basically, academic libraries provide much relevant research materials in both printed and electronic formats to support graduate studies. Higher institutions such as the University for Development Studies have therefore, invested resources in acquiring library infrastructure to facilitate research work. This study sought to analyse graduate students use of library and internet resources for academic activities. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire from 126 graduate students who were selected using a simple random sampling procedure. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and bivariate probit regression framework. The results indicate that students use both library and internet resources for their academic work. However, the use of internet is more than that of the University’s Library resources. Demographic and economic variables were identified as determinants for the use of library and internet resources. It was also discovered that challenges such as unfavourable working hours, unfriendly library staff, lack of essential reference materials and inability to borrow books affect students in library use. Besides, slow data transmission, difficulty in accessing relevant materials and limited skills in accessing information were the challenges associated with internet use. The results have several implications for graduate students’ academic work in the University