The role of library services in the research of postgraduate students at the University Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique

Abstract

More and more, research is becoming the core business of every university. There are a number of reasons as to why governments are encouraging their universities to make research activities a priority. Research leads to birth of new knowledge and theory of the world. Such new knowledge drives the economies of the world. In this regard, academic libraries have been able to provide the tools that guide clients through an avalanche of information and assist researchers to identify what meets their particular needs. However, academic libraries are facing some challenges as a result of various changes in scholarly communication as they are no longer regarded as the sole primary provider of information to researchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of library services in the research of postgraduate students at the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique. The study looked at the services the library offered to postgraduate students, the sources of information most used by postgraduate students, the research information needs of postgraduate students, the ways the postgraduate students access research materials and the challenges that postgraduate students encounter when using the System of Libraries at the UEM. The first research question was answered by reviewing the professional literature as well the empirical data obtained from the librarians via interviews. The rest of the questions were answered by the students via questionnaires as well as interviews with the library staff. The researcher self-administered a questionnaire to 200 registered postgraduate students at the UEM and conducted interviews with seven librarians. The study adopted the Multiple Constituencies Model which each of its domains effectively helping in interpreting the results of the study. The study found that between 57 (32.3%) and 58 (33%) postgraduate students use the library to search for prescribed course materials and research related work. Furthermore, the study found that 152 (88.4%) students used the Internet to search for information. Although the study showed students used the library, the major challenges that students between 35(19.9%) and 96(54.5%) faced included poor English literacy skills, unstable Internet and outdated materials.