Evaluating Research Support Facilities to University Students during COVID-19

• Published in: Library philosophy and practice pp. 1A - 18
• Main Authors: Shoaib, Muhammad, Rasool, Shamshad, Anwar, Behzad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lincoln Library Philosophy and Practice 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Academic libraries; Colleges & universities; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Hypotheses; Infections; Library and information science; Library resources; Mediation; Pandemics; Periodicals; Questionnaires; Social distancing; University students; Pakistan
• ISSN: 1522-0222

This study aimed to examine the research support and availability of print resources to university students during COVID-19 in Pakistan. Along with other pandemic related issues during the lockdown, university students faced study issues as all the teaching activities were shifted to online, and they faced unavailability of print resources. A quantitative study design was opted to conduct the study. A total of 2745 university students participated in the survey. This form was sent to 5950 students through their emails and WhatsApp groups. A well-structured questionnaire was constructed and pre-tested from 30 randomly selected students. The study findings showed that COVID-19 affected the educational institutions of several countries generally and Pakistan particularly. The university libraries were closed as lockdown and social distancing was implemented as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). University students were restricted to their homes and were not allowed to visit the library. Therefore, they faced the non-accessibility of books, periodicals, manuscripts, and lack of research support facilities. This study concluded that university libraries were closed during the COVID-19 outbreak and the students faced a deficit of research support and non-availability of print resources in Pakistan. It is recommended that the university libraries should strengthen their digital resources to facilitate students in terms of research support facilities and availability of online books, manuscripts, and periodicals to tackle the issues of university students.