Factors that influence the use of the virtual library among students at a university in northeastern Mexico

Abstract

Objetive. Due to the quarantine of Covid 19, libraries have had to adapt to the virtual modality. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to verify the relationship between the variables: Information available in the virtual library; Informative competences of the librarian; teacher influence; Awareness of the value of information and reading habits with the use of the virtual library. It is important to mention that the study is limited to a quantitative approach. Likewise, the study is aimed at higher education students from an engineering school in northeastern Mexico. Method. A measurement instrument with 26 questions on a Likert scale was used, which meets the reliability and validity characteristics. The instrument was applied to a stratified sample of 386 students. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, developing a multiple linear regression model. Results. The results show that the variables: information available in the virtual library, the information skills of the librarian, the influence of teacher, awareness of the value of information and reading habits directly influence use of the virtual library. Conclusions. The resulting model provides valuable information on those critical factors that must be taken into account to strengthen the use of virtual libraries in universities by students. Likewise, it is recommended for future research to re-analyze the teacher's influence factor in post-pandemic times, hoping to find a different finding.

Keywords

• bibliotecas virtuales
• competencias digitales
• comunicación digital
• habilidades investigativas
• uso de la información