COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN ONLINE VS OFFLINE LIBRARIES IN HEIS – CASE STUDY COMMERCE DEPARTMENT IN BIHAR

Abstract

The study explores how students, lecturers, and researchers in HEIs perceive both the offline and e-libraries in India. The survey had 300 individuals who claimed that 70% used e-libraries, while 65% approved online materials because of reliability, content, and availability. However, a quarter of these respondents face challenges in finding relevant resources, while a similar percentage do not find support services helpful. However, 60% of respondents claimed that they use offline libraries, while 65% noted that the quality of staffing and resources was good enough. Some of these challenges experienced by 15% of them included inconvenient working hours and finding materials. While undergraduates make equal use of the traditional libraries with their postgraduate counterparts and faculty, the latter group prefers e-libraries. Online library happiness is associated with higher usage frequency, whereas offline library satisfaction is related to convenience in working hours and placement of resources. As a result, offline and online libraries cannot be overemphasized in terms of their importance, but there is more work that needs to be done on them. This improvement should focus on simplifying resource searches as well as improving electronic library service support. Similarly, projects target enhancing the navigability of offline libraries, dealing with wrong place placement, and restricting operation hours. Therefore, there are needs for libraries in HEIs to be improved so as to suit the demands of their patrons.

Keywords: Students, Lecturers, Researchers, Virtual Libraries, Offline Libraries & HEIs (Higher Education Institutions)