Abstract:
The study investigated the information seeking behavior of the medical students of the University of
Kelaniya. The objectives of the study were to examine how the medical students obtain required
information; to identify the types of library services frequently used by the medical students; to
determine if the medical students sought current information; to ascertain the problems encountered
by the medical students in the process of seeking information and to identify the additional library
services preferred by the medical students.
Structured questionnaires were distributed among 248 medical students randomly selected out of a
population of 865 students. Comparison of information seeking behavior of students at each level was
performed with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of Conoco 4.5.
Major findings include: all 3 levels other than level 4 showed a somewhat similar pattern of
information seeking. Students in level 1 seem more keen in library usage for finding answers to
questions, while level 3 for research work and experimental purposes. Level 4 students use color
guides/ atlases and dictionaries/glossaries/encyclopedia for accessing information than those at the
other levels.
The result shows that the Medical Library is the most frequently used place of the best access for
information gathering of the students. The respondents especially relied on text books and online full
text journals for current information. Clinical practice and lecture hours are the major limiting factors
for level 4, more than other levels. The medical students have totally agreed that up-to-dateness of the
collections is the major issue. The development of the novel collection and the provision of new
editions of text books are recommended by the respondents and the number of copies of frequently
used text books should be increased based on their demand. The improvement of Information
Technology (IT) is also essential in the library for enhancement and ease of retrieval of information
for the students.
