Students’ Online Usage Patterns of Electronic Resources at St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza Campus: Evidence to Inform University Administration

Abstract

The rapid growth of information and communication technologies has transformed how universities worldwide provide access to scholarly materials. Electronic resources (e-resources)—including online databases, e-journals, e-books, and digital repositories—have become essential for teaching, learning, and research in higher education. In developing countries such as Tanzania, these resources offer particular promise by overcoming the limitations of physical library collections, enabling remote access, and supporting the expanding number of undergraduate students. At St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Mwanza Campus, undergraduates in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication rely increasingly on both subscribed databases (e.g., JSTOR, EBSCO) and alternative online sources. Yet patterns of actual usage, access barriers, and the influence of factors such as device ownership, residential status, and information literacy remain under-documented at the campus level. Understanding these local realities is critical for university administrators seeking to improve infrastructure, training, and resource management in a resource-constrained African higher-education context.