The usage pattern of electronic information resources among the engineering research community in Karnataka: a survey

The electronic information resources have the effect of democratizing the research community (RC). Researchers in the developing and developed countries can interact with each other on the same footing. The result is that the RC seems to moving towards a greater international homogeneity. However, in developing countries like India the engineering research community (ERC) is not fully utilizing the benefit of the situation because they consider online electronic information resources as a disorganized, unmanaged monster, without a toay to verify on-line information, and without more than elementary search tools. In an electronic environment the studies which focus on how the researchers search information, on the type and sources of information needed, on the nature of information sought, and the services they use are highly relevant, because they provide a basis for reorganizing libraries and information centers and reshaping their information support activities. The present study attempts to assess the information search pattern of ERC in the electronic environment in the Engineering Colleges of Karnataka