Information behaviour of mechanical engineering students at a South African institution of higher education and the role of the academic library in meeting their information needs

Abstract

Academic libraries in South Africa are increasingly shifting their focus towards providing online resources to meet the needs of off-campus students, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic's emphasis on the necessity of online access to library resources and services. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the information needs, retrieval methods, and behaviour of mechanical engineering students at a higher education institution, specifically focusing on their use of online resources. The study employed a sequential, explanatory, and mixed-methods approach, using a web-based questionnaire for students and interviews with subject librarians to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Despite numerous reminders and resending of the questionnaire, the response rate was low, which may have been due to factors, such as the difficulty of reaching and motivating students, who were off campus during the pandemic, reduced engagement with email during this time, or the general stress and disruption caused by the pandemic.