Faculty Members' Informational Needs and their Methods of Access to information in Isfahan University of Medicals Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Faculty members' needs to information and their awareness towards these needs, is of special importance. So that, this study was performed to determine the priority of faculty members' informational needs and their method of access to information in order to improve the efficacy and the procedures of supply, collection, and organization of information in informatics centers and libraries of the university. Methods: In a descriptive cross sectional study in the year 2007, all faculty members of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (616 faculty members in 60 educational departments) were studied. Data was gathered using a valid and reliable researcher made questionnaire. Then, the data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: According to the findings, the majority and the most important priorities of information resources included: print books, print journals, and specialized databases. The most familiarity with and the most applicable methods of access to information were electronic mail, workplace library, home page of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, search engines, and free on line medical databases. There was a correlation between easy access to information in workplace’s library, the coverage of needed information resources, and population’s satisfaction with the coverage of needed information resources in school libraries and their usage. Conclusion: Considering the limited usage of libraries’ electronic and new resources by faculty members, it is recommended to plan for faculty members' education which may lead to the more use of new information resources.

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