Pedagogical Use of Mobile Devices and Mobile Accessible Information Sources by Medical Users in Libraries of Gujarat: Outcomes from a Survey

Abstract

Objectives: To find out the purpose and utilization of the mobile phones and mobile accessed information resources and services by the medical library users of Gujarat state for pedagogical use.
Methods: An e-mail survey of medical library users which includes under graduate students, post graduate students and other medical faculty/staff concerned with medical colleges of Gujarat are included.
Results: Overall, 656 questionnaires were used. The response rate in Gujarat was 50.07%. Most of the medical library users reported (89.79%) were mobile phone used and (69.66%) also used smartphone. Major of medical library users were 62.96%, 60.82%, 45.12%, 40.24%, 37.96%, 26.83%, 20.12%, 18.45% using social networking; e-mail; google search tools; text messaging mobile apps/application; using the college/university’s library website; web search; instant message, but fewer 19.05% of the medical users were reported using online databases, 11.59% library catalogue medical users are using through mobile/handheld devices. Majority of the medical library users were faced barricade like slow load time; difficulty reading content format and required specialized mobile application. Nobody reported to accessed library depository by medical library users in medical colleges of Gujarat.
Conclusions: This paper will be helpful to librarians, clinicians and other medical science concerned working in remote places to keep abreast with the recent advances in their respective fields by enabling them to access the information at the press of a button on mobile or handheld devices. How much of mobile phones/handheld devices and mobile information sources have been used by medical students with the provision of M-libraries have also been discussed.