BIBLIOGRAPHY OLATIC, RHEA T. ...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013. Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An
Agricultural Journal Compilation Database. Benguet State University. La Trinidad,
Benguet.
Adviser: Michelle B. Gatab, MDevCom
ABSTRACT
The study aimed to determine the utilization of BSU students on the University
library TEEAL Service.
Specifically, the study aims to determine the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents, determine the awareness of respondents on the University library TEEAL
service, determine the frequency of the use of TEEAL service by the students, enumerate
the reasons of the respondents in using the TEEAL service, determine the perceived
advantages of utilizing the TEEAL service, enumerate problems encountered by the
respondents in using the TEEAL service and enumerate suggestions for the improvement
of TEEAL service.
The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2013 at Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet. The respondents of the study were 298 students from the
selected four colleges, of Benguet State University using accidental sampling
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Most of the respondents were not aware of the service because of lack of information.
Among those who were aware on the TEEAL service, only few tried to open and use it.
Findings showed that for school requirement is the major reason that they use the
service mostly under Agriculture subjects.
Posting of TEEAL posters on bulletin boards, creating IEC materials and
announcing it during orientations and student gatherings were the suggestions for the
TEEAL service improvement.
It is recommended that the BSU library may consider more orientations and
information dissemination on the existence of the TEEAL service and further study on the
effectiveness of TEEAL may be done.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Agricultural information is needed not just by farmers but of anyone engaged in
agriculture in order to gain more knowledge on Agriculture.
Agriculture is one of the oldest ways of living in the Philippines and is said to be
the backbone of its economic system. Also, agriculture is highly practiced in the Cordillera
Region because the soil is fertile and is very good for planting.
There are so many queries on what agriculture is although its history started more
than 10,000 years ago. The Webster Dictionary-Tenth Edition (2001) defined agriculture
as the science, art or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock
and in varying degrees, the preparation and marketing of resulting products.
Agriculture is a sector of economic activity that provides human beings with some
of their basic needs. Its outputs are food and raw materials. Without the food products, life
can easily be sustained; without the raw materials, the industrial sector of the economy
cannot be fully developed. This is because the agricultural sector of the economy supplies
most of the raw materials used by the industrial sector (AGU, 2007).
In order to inquire information on agriculture, people use different kinds of
materials such as journals. A journal is a written record of incidents, experiences and ideas
as defined by Nordquist (2012). Writers often keep journals to record observations and
explore ideas that may eventually be developed into more formal essays, articles, and
stories.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
The level of quality of an institution of higher education is determined to a great
extent by that of its library that is by the adequacy of its collections of books, journals, and
other research materials, and services (Salaam and Aderibigbe, 2010).
BSU was founded in 1916 and has a focus in the fields of Agriculture, Education
and Medicine. The University’s educational goals emphasize service to society and it has
collaborated with environmental experts and researches to boost farming in the local
community. BSU has also been a forerunner in environmental protection and natural
resource development (Gorinto, 2009).
BSU library’s mission is to be a university committed to the achievement of
BSUmission, goals, and objectives through higher quality services, resources and
functional ICT. Its vision is to be a university library ICT model in CAR region that
facilitates information access to all.
Just like other universities and colleges that offer services to help students for easy
access on information about a certain topic they need for academic purposes, the BSU
Library has its own The Electronic Essential Agricultural Library or TEEAL.
TEEAL is a project of the Cornell University Albert R. Mann Library which comes
in CD-Rom and External hard drive format (Ramos and Reyes, 2001). It is a digital
collection of a full-text and bibliographic library of the world's important scientific journals
in the field of agriculture.
The idea for TEEAL arose in the 1980s, and was created by Wallace Olsen, former
Senior Research Associate, and Jan Olsen, former Director, of Mann Library. TEEAL was
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
born in order to effect long-term improvements in food security and agricultural
development by giving scientists better access to current research.
BSU, known as the oldest Agricultural School in the Region continues to heighten
its prominence by institutionalized programs that are aided at bridging the digital divide
where in it purchased library resources amounting to 1.76 million making the BSU library
the first library in Cordillera to be automated (Caasi, 2010). Through the university library
TEEAL service, students can now easily make research about agriculture and other studies
on just few clicks on the computer.
The TEEAL database of BSU was purchased in 2005, installed in 2008 and was
last updated in 2011 with the 2010 version. According to Ma. Teresa Marques, head of
General Circulation Section of the University Library, BSU is the only school that has the
TEEAL database in the whole Cordillera Region.
There was a need to conduct the study to see who use the services and consider
their comments and suggestions for the improvement of the TEEAL Service if there are
any. Furthermore, there was also a need to conduct the study to know the frequency of
utilization of students on the service.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Statement of the Problem
The study focused on the utilization of BSU students on the University Library
TEEAL Service.
Specifically, it aimed to answer the following questions:
1.
What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?
2.
What is the awareness of the respondents on the University Library TEEAL
Service?
3.
What is the frequency of the use of the TEEAL service by the students?
4.
What are the reasons of the respondents in using the TEEAL service?
5.
What are the perceived advantages of utilizing the TEEAL service?
6.
What are the problems encountered by the respondents in using the TEEAL
service?
7.
What are the suggestions for the improvement of TEEAL service?
Objectives of the Study
Generally, the study aimed to determine the utilization of BSU students on the
University Library TEEAL Service.
Specifically, it:
1. determine the socio-demographic profile of the respondents;
2. determine the awareness of the respondents on the University Library
TEEAL
Service;
3. determine the frequency of TEEAL service by the students;
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
4. enumerate the reasons of the respondents in using the TEEAL service;
5. determine the perceived advantages of utilizing the TEEAL service;
6. enumerate problems encountered by the respondents in using the TEEAL
service; and,
7. enumerate suggestions for the improvement of TEEAL service.
Importance of the Study
The results of the study may be used as a document for the profile of TEEAL service
in BSU.
The study conducted also determined the frequency of the use of the TEEAL
service by the students, the reasons of the respondents in using the TEEAL service and
determine the perceived advantages of utilizing the TEEAL service.
Lastly, the results of this study may also be used by the BSU main library in
improving the TEEAL service according to the comments and suggestions given by the
respondents.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The study focused on the TEEAL service only of the university library, thus, it did
not cover any other e-services of the university library.
Also, the students from the selected four colleges of the university (College of
Agriculture, College of Engineering and Applied Technology, College of Forestry and
College of Veterinary Medicine)were the respondents of the study, therefore, Open
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
University, Graduate School, faculty, researchers, outsiders and other university staff were
not included.
Lastly, the study focused on the utilization of BSU students on the service and did
not cover the effectiveness of the respondents on the TEEAL Service.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL)
TEEAL is a project of the Albert R. Mann Library of Cornell University with the
support from the Rockefeller Foundation and publishers. It is a digital collection of 145
major journals in agriculture issued from 1993 with full-text and graphics that is sometimes
being called “Library in a Box” (Ramos and Reyes, 2007). It is a digital collection of a full-
text and bibliographic library of the world's important scientific journals in the field of
agriculture and related sciences. Researchers, students, faculty and librarians can discover
and access thousands of full-text PDF articles without the use of the internet. TEEAL is
available to institutions in income-eligible countries.
It is a searchable, offline, digital library that contains over 200 Agricultural
journals. It include subjects such Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Science/
Veterinary Medicine, Biology, Biotechnology/ Applied Microbiology, Chemistry/
Biochemistry/ Biophysics, Economics/ Ecology/ Natural Resources, Fisheries/ Aquatic
Science, Food Science/ Nutrition, Forestry, Human Medicine/Physiology and Plant
Science/ Soil Science (Mann, 2010).
TEEAL is available for purchase at a low cost, and is solely for education and
research in public and non-profit institutions in eligible-income countries that when you
purchase it for the first time, you receive an external hard drive of journal content from
1993-2009. TEEAL is updated each year and that updates are shipped to current
subscribers every December on a small set of DVDs (Mann, 2010).
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Also, there are minimum necessary requirements the database needed to host TEEAL on
computers for compatibility. They are as follows: Processor- 1500MHz, Memory- 1GB,
Operating System- Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or windows 7, Free hard drive space-4GB,
Miscellaneous- DVD reader; Adobe Reader 6.0 (provided with TEEAL); one free USB 2.0
port.
While TEEAL run on computers with less than 1 GB of RAM, performance may
be compromised. On the other hand, the following are the minimum necessary to host the
TEEAL collection on a network; Processor- 1500MHz, Memory- 1GB, Operating System-
Windows Server 2000, 2003, or 2008, Free hard drive space at least 500GB, usually from
a RAID configuration; Miscellaneous- DVD reader; one free USB 2.0 port. To purchase
TEEAL, you must be a public or non-profit organization in an eligible country. TEEAL is
a self-funded non-profit project. The content itself is free to eligible institutions. Publishers
have generously donated journals with an estimated value over $1 million. However,
TEEAL is a physical information product that involves expenses related to the annual
production of updates, upgrades, shipping, administration, outreach and training. TEEAL
is available at a fraction of the cost of individual subscriptions to its journals. Participating
publishers graciously assist in producing TEEAL by providing their journals at no cost
(Mann, 2010).
According to Ochs (2005), You can’t do research out of the blue. You need to
access to some published literature. Before the introduction of TEEAL, it was really hard
to get literature. Some students would have only three citations in an assignment. If i am
looking for literature, I go to TEEAL first.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
According to the study conducted by Hutchinson (2002), The Essential Electronic
Agricultural Library (TEEAL) has been called a “library-in-a-box” because it is made up
of 172 CD ROMs which include the full text of 130 agricultural journals. This impressive
products can be purchased by 115 of the most low per capita income countries, as identified
in the World Bank’s 1998-1999 World Development Report. The first installment contains
journals published from 1993-1996 and is comprised of 735,000 pages of text that were
scanned and digitalized by a contractor supervised by Mann Library staff.
Hutchinson also added that annual installments for subsequent years are in progress and
include even more journals. The 1997 edition contains 140 journals and has been available
since May 2000. The 1998 edition also includes 140 journals and will be ready for shipping
in September 2000.
According to Friedlander (1999) as cited by Hutchinson (2002), negotiations are
ongoing with publishers to include additional journals titles in four editions.
Purposes of TEEAL Service
The library serves the information needed by scientists, field workers and
professional staff (Ramos and Delos Reyes, 2007).
The ultimate goal of TEEAL is to increase the quality and effectiveness of
agricultural and environmental science research in low-income countries. TEEAL was
based on the premise that by providing access to the research literature of agriculture and
environmental sciences, scientists and decision-makers in developing coutries would have
better access to the work of the global scientific community and thus would be better able
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
to incorporate proven scientific knowledge into their research and outreach programs, Ochs
(2005).
According to Friedlander (1999) as cited by Ramos and Delos Reyes (2007),
researchers in developing countries find it frustrating trying to keep abreast of the latest
agricultural research because hard currency shortages prevent the purchase of hugely
expensive scientific journals.
The electronic revolution has brought about new ways of generating, retrieving and
disseminating information to enrich projects, researches, assignments and so forth. The
existence of electronic resources, has allowed users faster and easier access in their search
for information, which are current, elaborate, and far-reaching (Akobi, 2007).
Evans and Zarnosky (2000) as cited by Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010), described
electronic resources in libraries as mixed blessing. Electronic resources are popular
because they provide more flexibility in searching than their paper –based counterpart, and
they can be accessed remotely at any time.
The world of the electronic databases, just like the evolution of the printing press
in the past has changed information delivery. The electronic revolution has brought about
new ways of generating, retrieving and disseminating information to enrich projects,
researches, assignments and so forth. The existence of electronic resources, has allowed
users faster and easier access in their search for information, which are current, elaborate,
and far-reaching (Akobi, 2007).
In a study conducted by Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010), student’s preference of
journal format, print, CD-ROM or online, conducted at the University of Agriculture,
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Aboekuta, found that the users preferred the CD-Rom databases, particularly the TEEAL,
to other media.
Ochs (2005), as cited by Akobi (2007), observed that TEEAL is the solution to a
problem adding that in the last decade, there has been a huge investment in research and
education programs in these countries. In spite of the monumental strides made in
improving these programs, little has been accomplished in bringing these countries access
to the world’s scholarly publishing. Without access to the scientific literature, researchers
in the developing countries cannot know that others have already found solutions to the
problems they are struggling with. Ochs also noted that many students from the developing
countries come to the United States and Europe to complete their graduate work. Upon
returning to their own countries, they no longer have access to the literature that they have
relied upon for their research programs in developing countries.
In the case of Egerton University, the Public Agricultural University in Kenya, until
February of 2000, the library system lacked the means to provide the University’s teaching,
research, and extension programs with access to worldwide agricultural literature. Up to
the present time, the library’s annual budget allowed only for the purchase of a limited
number of textbooks, undergraduate support materials and local newspapers. Books and
scientific journals related to graduate studies and research have notbeen acquired unless
through donations or contributions by donor agencies and, as yet, the technological
infrastructure is not extensive enough to obtain scientific information through online
journals and other electronic publications.
Recognizing the experiences like Egerton’s are not unique and that institutions
through the developing world face similar problem of resource and Information
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
deprivation, the Rockefeller Foundation teamed up with Cornell University’s Albert R.
Mann Library, to develop product to fill this gap. The Essential Electronic Agriculture
Library was ten created and was called “library-in-a-box” (Hutchinson, 2002).
Advantages of Using TEEAL Service
According the the study of Ochs (2005), the TEEAL User Study demonstrates the
high value that students and researchers place on access to current scientific literature. It
also illustartes how they are using such resources to enrich their work, address agriculture-
related problems, and enhance their participation in international peerreviewd publications.
One of the most pressing issues for higher education institutions in developing
countries is the lack of access to the world’s current scientific literature in any given
discipline (Ozowa, 1994; Gathegi, 1990; Mann, 1986) as cited by Hutchinson (2002). This
situation is even more pronounced in the field of Agriculture, Hutchinson added. Students,
educators and researchers consider TEEAL to be very useful in their work, enhancing both
their productivity and the quality of their work. They find the articles in TEEAL relevant
and trustworthy, and generally adequate in scope (Ochs, 2005).
On the study, Awareness and Utilization of The Essential Electronic Agricultural
Library by Academic Staff: A Case Study of University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria
conducted by Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010), the respondents believed that TEEAL make
it possible for them to access more easily information from different sources which helps
enormously with their research, thus, the respondents of the study do found it easy to use.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
TEEAL, which contains up-to-date information and, which in turn, has improved the
quality of their work.
Ochs (2005) also found out on her study “TEEAL (The Essential
ElectronicAgricultural Library): A User Study” that people were involved in research and
teaching and that TEEAL is useful in their research and teaching. The respondents agreed
that the literature in TEEAL has influenced how they search and teach for scientific
literature. Another key goal of TEEAL is to improve the availability of resources for
teaching. Not nearly as many survey takers said they were involved in teaching. TEEAL is
very useful in teaching and that having TEEAL has improved the quality of their teaching.
She also found out that all of the Teaching professionals said that they used TEEAL and
articles from the e-journals in their classes Ochs added
Akobi (2007), found out in his study, that researchers found the TEEAL collections
to be solutions to the problem of quality research work and that the use of TEEAL
collections has afforded them faster and easier access to the world’s scholarly publishing
literature. He also found out that user-friendly is the nature of the database.
Problems in Using TEEAL Service among the Students
TEEAL was born in order to effect long-term improvements in food security and
agricultural development by giving scientists better access to current research. But
somehow on its way, it met a lot of problems and discouragements before successfully
installed and distributed.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
According to Friedlander (1999), as cited by Ramos and Delos Reyes
(2007)TEEAL had to clear years of hurdles, including about five years of negotiations to
gain the cooperation of the world's leading scholarly journals on agricultural and life
sciences to assemble the collection. The maker had spent considerable time negotiating
copyright agreements and convincing publishers that distributing back issues of their
journals to developing countries would not hurt potential subscription sales. Library-in-a
box sales are restricted to those developing countries where publishers normally would not
find a market for t heir journals.
Providing access to rich scholarly literature is the key to the success of research
programs in higher institutions in the developing countries. Experience has shown that one
of the greatest barriers to the improvement of agricultural research in Nigerian institutions
is the absence of literature and Libraries to support the research. There is a dire need to
make core literature available, but it has to be in a form that the libraries in Nigeria can
afford, support technically, and maintain under less than an ideal environmental condition
(Akobi, 2007).
The database makes it possible for libraries in resource poor countries to have
access to relatively current agricultural journals in CD-ROM format. However, electronic
resources adoption and usage have their associated issues,especially so in Nigeria, which
hinders an effective utilization of e-resources, affect the attitude of users towards resources,
and make them prefer the traditional print information resources (Salam and Adirebigbe,
2010). Additionally, they found out on their study, Awareness and Utilization of The
Essential Electronic Agricultural Library by Academic Staff: A Case Study of University
of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, that their respondents complain that TEEAL offers only
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
a limited number of journals published in Africa. This corroborates the finding on this same
subject matter by Oduwole and Sowole (2006). They also identified lack of content in some
subject areas and copyright implications.
In the study, Utilization and Impact of The Essential Electronic Agriculture
Database on Library Services in Nigerian University of Agriculture, conducted by
Oduwole and Sowole (2006), they found out that though the most of the users are computer
literate, they still seek the assistance of library staff for database searching and that the
major constraints to the use of TEEAL database include the high cost of printing of selected
papers and the limited number of work station.
It is evident that some constraints to optimum use of TEEAL exist due to language
barriers, inadequate infrastructure (computers, electricity, paper, toner cartridges, etc.), the
cost of printing of articles, limited access (library hours) and the need for ongoing training
(Ochs. 2005).
Additionally, Oduwole and Sowole (2006), as cited by Salaam and Adirebigbe
(2010), electronic resources do not reduce library operating cost and present new
challenges for staff. Moreover, electronic system can fail as a result of inadequate power
supplies. Waiting for files to download, waiting to have a server to accept your query or
being abruptly cut off in mid-session are sources of frustration that do not exist with paper-
based resources. On the other hand, torn-out articles, miss-shelved or missing volumes, or
library holiday gaps are not issues with the electronic resources, provided offline access to
the required system is available.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Suggestions for the Improvement of TEEAL Service
On the study “The Impact and Use of TEEAL on Researchers of Faculty of Agriculture,
Ahmadu Bello University Samaru, Zaria,” conducted by Akobi (2007), the respondents
leave their comments and suggestions as follows; the full text of TEEAL, particularly the
ones on the Acrobat Reader should be made darker so that the print canberead easily; Most
researchers complain about the faint print; There should be immediate provision for the
Lan-based TEEAL and that more hardware are needed.
Awareness and orientation should be a continuous effort. The University Library
should find an alternative way to generate power supply such as a stand by generator,
inverter or solar energy system (Salaam and Aderibigbe, 2010).
According to Ochs (2005), surveys and case studies will allow the TEEAL team to
identify more specifically those institutions struggling with these issues and arrive at a
more targeted approach to help them overcome the problem’s they’ve identified.
Addressing these issues should increase the number of individuals who can take advantage
of TEEAL’s resources. Successful strategies can be extended to institutions that did not
participate in the survey as needed.
Hutchinson (2002) found out on her study, “The Essential Electronic Agricultural
Library (TEEAL): A Tool for Agricultural Education and Research in Developing
Countries (A Case Study)” that the number of TEEAL requests continues to increase and
the successful operation of the service has led to purchase an additional printer to help
provide printouts as well as a modem and internet connection for the library.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Additionally, Ochs (2005) said that despite the availability of TEEAL, there
remains a large unmet demand for access to scientific literature throughout the developing
world, though most particularly in Africa. In mid-2003, as part of public awareness
initiative directed at current and potential TEEAL donors, the TEEAL Office estimated
that there were almost 100 institutions in Africa alone that were interested in acquiring the
TEEAL set based on the number of direct approaches to the office with request for funding
support for base sets or updates. “I can confidently tell you that this database has done me
well. TEEAL has given me that research excellence”, Anonymous (2007) as cited by Akobi
(2007) on his study.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in Benguet State University, the oldest institution among
all other universities and colleges not just in La Trinidad but in the whole region. The
University is committed to attain Center of Excellence and Center of Development status
from the Commission on Higher Education for its degree programs.BSU is 5 kms from
Baguio City; it is located in La Trinidad, Benguet (Figure 1) and so with the University
library. The Library is located between the College of Teacher Education (CTE) and the
BSU Secondary Laboratory School (SLS).
The University library was divided into 6 sections namely General Reference and
Information Section, Periodicals/Serials Section, Filipiniana Section, General Circulation
Section, Multimedia Section and the Virtual Library where the computer units with TEEAL
database is located.
The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2013.
Respondents of the Study
Ten percent of each of the entire population of the College of Agriculture, College
of Engineering and Applied Technology, College of Forestry and College of Veterinary
Medicine were the respondents of the study because the TEEAL database contains subject
journal related to the courses of these Colleges.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
The College of Agriculture has the highest population with a total of 1,950 students
as of the second semester of school year 2012-2013. College of Veterinary
Figure 1 . Map of Benguet showing La Trinidad where Benguet State Un iversity is
located, the locale of the study 20
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Table 1. Population of the four Colleges
COLLEGE
POPULATION
PERCENTAGE
(10%)
CA
1,950
195
CEAT
297
29.7
CF
309
30
CVM
434
43
Medicine is the second highest population with a total of 434 students for the
second semester of the same school year. College of Forestry has a total of 309 students
and College of Engineering and Applied Technology has a total student’s population of
297, excluding the Auto Mechanical course of the College, for second semester of school
year 2012-2013 as well.
The library staff Ma. Teresa Marques, head of General Circulation Section was the
key informant of the study since she is also in-charge of the maintenance of the TEEAL
service in BSU.
Data Collection
The key informant of the study was personally interviewed by the researcher
regarding the profile of the TEEAL service in BSU. During the initial interview to the key
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
informant, the researcher was accompanied to one of the computer to show how TEEAL
looks like and how to open and use it.
A survey questionnaire was used to ask the respondents about the utilization of the
TEEAL service of the University library and accidental sampling was the method used to
determine respondents.
The researcher checked the TEEAL service in the university library by testing the
programs of the entire 30 computer, if there really is a TEEAL service found on them while
looking for the respondents that are using TEEAL.
Data Gathered
The data gathered were the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the
awareness of the respondents on the University library TEEAL Service, the frequency of
the use of TEEAL service by the students, the purposes or reasons of the respondents in
accessing the service, the perceived advantages of utilizing the service, the problems
encountered in accessing the service, and the suggestions for the improvement of TEEAL
service if there are.
Data Analysis
The data gathered were consolidated, tabulated, analyzed using frequency counts
and was described in narrative form.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Socio-Demographic Profile of the Respondents
Table 2 shows the socio-demographic profile of the 298 respondents who were
students of the four colleges (College of Agriculture, College of Engineering and Applied
Technology, College of Forestry and College of Veterinary Medicine) of BSU where
Agriculture and other related science subjects are offered. The table presents their sex,
college and year level.
Sex. Most of the respondents were male (57%), most of them were from the
College of Agriculture.
College. The College of Agriculture has the highest number of respondents (66%)
due to high enrollment population followed by the College of Veterinary
Medicine(14%).The College of Engineering and Applied Technology andthe College of
Forestry have the same population which is 10% of the whole population of the
respondents.
Year level. Most of the respondents were seniors (42%) mostly from the College of
Agriculture because most of them are having their thesis which requires a lot of researches
followed by the juniors (30%) who are also starting to work with their thesis. Sophomore
(19%) and freshmen (9%) had smaller population at the study because they do not have a
lot of agricultural subjects yet.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Table 2. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents
CHARAC
TERISTICS
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE %
(n=298)
Sex
Male
169
57
Female
129
43
Total
298
100
College
Agriculture
195
66
Engineering
30
10
and Applied
Technology
Forestry
30
10
Veterinary M
43
14
edicine
Total
298
100
Year Level
Freshmen
29
9
Sophomore
56
19
Juniors
87
30
Seniors
126
42
Total 298 100
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Awareness on the University Library TEEAL Service
Table 3 shows the awareness of the respondents on the University library TEEAL
service. Majority (58%) of the respondents were not aware on the said service because
according to them, they are not oriented on what TEEAL is. Moreover, they are not a
library goer because they prefer to go to computer shops to research for their school
assignments and requirements because the virtual section of the university library is always
full of students and that there are no space for them. As a result, they never heard about the
TEEAL service.
Aragon (2009) cited that awareness comprises a human perception and cognitive
reaction to a condition or event.
AWARENESS
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE
(n=298)
( % )
Table 3.Awareness of the respondents on the university TEEAL service
Yes 126 42
No
172 58
Total
298
100
From the 126 population of the respondents, 126 of them were aware on the
existence and usage of TEEAL service (shown in table 4). Seventy one among them were
aware on the existence of TEEAL but they never try to use it while the other 55 respondents
knew about the existence of TEEAL and they have already tried to open and use the service.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Table 5 shows the sources of information to where or whom the respondents learn
about the service.
Most of the respondents learned the information of having the TEEAL service on
the University Library through their friends (70.6%) who knew about the TEEAL service
and have tried to use it. From a printed material such as poster from the library was the
answer of 30.1% respondents and 5.5% respondents said that they learned the information
through the internet from the BSU-library site.
Table 4. Characteristics of the awareness of the respondents on the TEEAL
CHARACTERISTICS
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE (n=126)
(%)
Aware but never use it Aware and tried to 71
56.35
use it
55
43.65
Total 126
100
Table 5. Sources of information on the existence of TEEAL service
SOURCES NUMBER
PERCENT %
(n=126)
Friends
89
70.6
Printed Materials
38
30.1
Internet surfing
7
5.5
*Multiple responses
Frequency of the Use of TEEAL Service by the Respondents
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Table 6 shows the frequency of the use of TEEAL service by the students of College
of Agriculture, College of Engineering and Applied Technology, College of Forestry and
College of Veterinary Medicine.
Table 6 shows that 36% respondents have tried to use the service once because they
just use it when necessary especially for their home works and assignments only, while
47%said they used it twice, 13% used it thrice and 4% used it four times these respondents
were those that are having their thesis wherein they need to research more. This means that
among the respondents who tried to open and use the service, almost half use the service
twice because they find it helpful during their first time of use.
Table 6. Frequency and percentage distribution of using the University library TEEAL
service
FREQUENCY
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE
(n=55)
(%)
Twice
25
47
Once
19
36
Thrice
7
13
Four times and above
3
4
Reasons of Utilizing the TEEAL Service by the Respondents
Table 7 shows the reason of the respondents in utilizing the university TEEAL service.
According to Ramos and Delos Reyes (2007), library serves the information needed
by scientists, field workers and professional staff. In BSU, library is the house of
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
information where students search for their assignments, projects, reports and other school
requirements.
The table presents the reasons of the respondents in using the TEEAL service of
the University library. Four possible reasons were presented to the respondents.
School requirements.41.9% of the respondents said that they use the TEEAL for
school requirements, these includes assignments and projects on Agricultural subjects.
Additional knowledge. Some respondents (45.5 %) claim that they use the TEEAL
for additional knowledge purposes. They say that to gain more knowledge on a certain
subject and topic, they read journals from TEEAL. They also say that they use TEEAL
because they are curious on what journals on TEEAL contains.
Research requirements.41.8% of the respondents said that they use TEEAL for
research requirements in and out of the University either educational or not. Some of the
respondents said while they study, they also work on a certain agricultural institute or
businesses where in they need to research for their jobs.
Personal reasons. Students said they have their own personal reasons in using the
TEEAL service, 36.6% of the respondents are among them.
Table 7. Reasons of using the University library TEEAL service
REASONS
SUM
PERCENTAGE
(n=55)
(%)
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
School requirements
27
49.1
Additional knowledge
25
45.5
Research requirements
23
41.8
Personal reasons
20
36.6
*Multiple Responses
Advantages of Utilizing the TEEAL Service by the Respondents
According to Ma. Teresa Marques, head of General Circulation Section of the
University library, TEEAL is an agricultural database of over 240 scientific journals in
agriculture and other related fields. Students therefore gain knowledge on a certain subject
from the service. The respondents were asked on the perceived advantages in using the
service. Their answers were as follows;
Gain knowledge. From TEEAL, one can gain knowledge on a certain topic and
subject especially in Agricultural because it contains different kind of journals about
Agriculture and different related fields. There are things that we don’t know about
something, through the journals the TEEAL contains we gain quality knowledge.
Offers information. Agriculture and other related field journals were created to
share information about a certain literature. TEEAL contains journals on Agriculture and
other related field which contains information that can be helpful to students for their
studies and works especially the seniors who needs more extensive researches for their
review of literature. This corroborates the study of Ochs (2005) where in Students,
educators and researchers consider TEEAL to be very useful in their work, enhancing both
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
their productivity and the quality of their work. They find the articles in TEEAL relevant
and trustworthy, and generally adequate in scope.
User-friendly. Some of the respondents said that TEEAL is user-friendly because
it is an easy access on agricultural journals without the use of the internet. TEEAL is a
searchable digital library that can be accessed without the use of internet because it is a
database saved on a certain unit. This corroborates the study of Akobi (2007) and Salaam
and Aderibigbe (2010) wherein they also found out that user-friendly is the nature of the
database in a sense that it gives accurate knowledge and information without the aid of the
internet.
Problems Encountered by the Respondents in Using the TEEAL Service
There are many possible factors that affect the usability of the TEEAL service.
Three of them, personal, technical and software, was asked to the respondents. These are
shown in table 8.
The frequency of using the service is also affected by some other factors though.
As much as the students want to use the service more often, they could not do so because
of the slow access of the database that takes a lot of time. According to some respondents,
when waiting for the program to open, they open different search engines on the internet
instead and they won’t be able to use the program anymore. This supports the study of
Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010), wherein the respondents claimed that they take a lot of time
in just opening the program.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Not familiar of the TEEAL service. The respondents who tried to use the TEEAL are
having hard time in utilizing the service because they are not familiar with it because
the service was just recently introduced.
Technical words used. One of the problems the respondents encounter when they
use the TEEAL service is the technicality of the words used. Some of the respondents say
that there are some words that they don’t understand because they are new to them.
Not familiar with language used. The language used on the TEEAL Service is
English, though the respondents understand English, The respondents are getting a hard
time in understanding points on the TEEAL because of its language, this corroborates the
study of Ochs (2005), where in the result said that it is evident that some constraints to
optimum use of TEEAL exist due to language barriers, inadequate infrastructure
(computers, electricity, paper, toner cartridges, etc.), the cost of printing of articles, limited
access (library hours) and the need for ongoing training.
Slow database access. Another problem the respondents encounter when they use
the TEEAL Service is the slow database access. Due to the database’s heavy capacity, the
unit’s performance in the Virtual Section of the University library may be compromised.
No access/ no electricity. In order to run a unit, there must be electricity. The
respondents cannot access the TEEAL service simply because there is no electricity. Some
of the respondents say that though the university library use generator during brown outs
or black outs, they still do not open the virtual section where the units are located. Other
respondents say that they cannot utilize the service because sometimes, the university
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
library closes the virtual section due to some reasons and that no student is allowed to enter
the room and use the units, thus, there is no access on the service.
Incomplete information. Majority of the respondents claims that TEEAL Service lack
information. There are those that on a certain subject, some information is not complete.
Unavailable journals. Some of the respondents say that there are journals that are not
available on the TEEAL. This corroborates to the finding on the same subject matter by
Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010) and Oduwole and Sowole (2006).The respondents say that
every time they type a certain journal, nothing with the same title appears.
Incomplete subjects. All of the respondents say that on the TEEAL service, there
are incomplete or unavailable subjects. This corroborates to Salaam and Aderibigbe
(2010) that journal on TEEAL lack content in some subject areas.
Table 8. Problems encountered in using the TEEAL service
PROBLEMS
TOTAL SUM
RANK
PERSONAL
Not familiar of the service
32
1
Technical words used
19
2
Not familiar with the language used
12
3
TECHNICAL
Slow database access
44
1
SOFTWARE
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Incomplete information
27
1
Unavailable journals
21
2
Incomplete subjects
7
3
Suggestions for the Improvement of TEEAL Service
The respondents gave their suggestions for the improvement of the TEEAL service.
Some of the respondents said that TEEAL should be made known for other students to
utilize because it is really helpful especially for students. This is the same to the suggestions
on the study of Salaam and Aderibigbe (2010) that awareness and orientation should be a
continuous effort. The University Library should find an alternative way to generate power
supply such as a stand by generator, inverter or solar energy system.
According to Marques, they are announcing the existence of TEEAL during
orientations especially to the freshmen, however, it did not cover the usage of the TEEAL
as a whole.
Moreover, the respondents who are not aware on the service gave also their
suggestions.
Post TEEAL posters on bulletin boards. Majority of the respondents said that in
order to disseminate information on the existence of TEEAL, the university should post it
on bulletin boards around the university compound so that all students can see it and they
will know that such service exists.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
Create IEC materials. The respondents suggested that the university library may
create pamphlet or flyers and other IEC materials which contains information on the
existence of TEEAL, how to access and its usage so it can be distributed to everyone.
Announce during orientations and student gatherings. The university library should
also announce the existence and usage of the TEEAL service to the students so can also be
oriented on how to use it.
Utilization of BSU TEEAL Service: An Agricultural Journal Compilation Database |
OLATIC, RHEA T. APRIL 2013
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2013 at Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet. The respondents of the study were 298 students from the
four colleges, College of Agriculture (195), College of Engineering and Applied
Technology (30), College of Forestry (30) and College of Veterinary Medicine (43).
Accidental sampling was the method used in determining the respondents. Survey
questionnaires were used to gather information. Data gathered were consolidated, tabulated
and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Most of the respondents were male, belonging to the College of Agriculture are in
their senior year.
Most of the respondents are not aware of the service and lack of information is the
majority reason. Among those that are aware, only few tried to open and use it and they
learned the information on the existence of the service from friends.
Findings showed that majority of the students use the service once a month and
most of them tried to use it twice. School requirement is the major reason that they use the
service and Agriculture is the subject they needed.
There are problems that affect the usage of the respondents on the university library:
personal problems, technical problems and software problems. Highest percentages among
the problems are as follows: not used of the TEEAL service, slow database access and
incomplete information.
Assessment on Farmers’ Acceptability of Organic Farming in Tuba, Benguet |
PARAN, SHIRLY P. APRIL 2013
Conclusions
Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions were derived: 1. TEEAL is not
commonly used by the intended users in the university.
2.
There is low awareness of the TEEAL among the students of BSU.
3.
TEEAL served its purpose to provide information about Agriculture
supported by the purpose indicated by the respondents.
4.
TEEAL is not utilized by the students in the university.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions, the following recommendations were formed;
1.
The BSU main library may consider more orientations and information
dissemination on the existence of the TEEAL service.
2.
The BSU main library may also come up with Information Educational
Materials on TEEAL.
3.
The TEEAL database access should be improved.
4.
The Students should also utilize the service since many are aware but are
not using.
5.
The Teachers should also use the service.
6.
Further study on the effectiveness of TEEAL may be done.
Assessment on Farmers’ Acceptability of Organic Farming in Tuba, Benguet |
PARAN, SHIRLY P. APRIL 2013
LITERATURE CITED
AGU, G.A. 2007. Importance of Agriculture.Retrieved November 17, 2012 from
http://www.shvoong.com/books/498046-importance-agriculture /.
AKOBI, E.I. 2007.The Impact and Use of TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural
Library) on Researches of Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University
Samaru,
Zaria. PDF Format
Retrieved
November
19,
2012
fromhttp://www.academia.edu/661416/The_impact_and_use of TEEAL_The_Es
sential_Electronic_Agricultural_Library_on_researchers of agriculture_Ahmadu
_Bello_University_Samaru_Zaria.
ARAGON, M.P.2009. Awareness and Compliance of the Community to Anti-Spitting of
“Momma”
ordinance
of
Barangay
Poblacion
in
Bontoc,
Mountain
Province.Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Bengtuet. Pp 16.
CAASI, J. 2010. Awareness and Utilization of BSU Students on the University Library Online
Services.Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. Pp 1
MANN A. R. LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY 2010. TEEAL- A Digital Library for
Excellence in Agricultural Research and Education. What is TEEAL? Retrieved
November 14, 2012 from http://www.teeal.org/what-is-teeal.
MANN A. R. LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 2010. TEEAL- A Digital Library for
Excellence in Agricultural Research and Education. Journals and Subjects.Retrieved
November 14, 2012 from http://www.teeal.org/journals?quicktabs_1=1#quicktabs-1.
MANN A. R. LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 2010. TEEAL- A Digital Library for
Excellence in Agricultural Research and Education. Retrieved Decemder 21, 2012 from
http://teeal.org/purchase.
GOOGLE.Map of La Trinidad, Benguet. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from
http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?q=benguet+state+university+map&um=1&hl=
fil&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&tbnid=Lnn5OmOdzDt55M:&imgrefurl=.
GORINTO, J. 2009. Evaluation of CA Students on the Vision, Mission and Goals Poster of
Benguet State University.Benguet State University, la Trinidad, Benguet. Pp 1.
Assessment on Farmers’ Acceptability of Organic Farming in Tuba, Benguet |
PARAN, SHIRLY P. APRIL 2013
HUTCHINSON, B. 2002. The Essential Electronic Agriculture Library (TEEAL): A Tool for
Agricultural Education and Research in Developing Countries (A Case Study). Arid Lands
Information Center, University of Arizona. Pp93.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY-TENTH EDITION. 2001.
The Tenth Edition. Agriculture Definition.Pp.24.
NORDQUIST, R. 2012. Journal Definition.Retrieved November 17, 2012 from
http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/journalterm.htm.
OCHS, M. 2005. TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library): A user study. Report to
Rockefeller Foundation. Mann Library, Cornell University. Pp1, 4, 10, 11, 20, and 21.
ODUWOLE, A.A. and A.O SOWOLE. 2006. Utilization and Impact of the Essential
Electronic Agricultural Database (TEEAL) on Library Services in a Nigerian University of
Agriculture.
Retrieved
November
19,
2012
from
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ER
ICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ901957&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&ac
cno=EJ901957 .
RAMOS, M. and L. DE LOS REYES. 2007. The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library.
International Rice Research Institute. PDF Format. Retrieved November
14,
2012 from
http://dspace.irri.org:8080/dspace/bitstream/10269/1395/1/TEEAL.pdf.
SALAAM, M.O. and N.A.ADERIBIGBE,. 2010.Awareness and Utilization of The Essential
Electronic Agricultural Library by Academic Staff: A Case Study of
University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. PDF Format.Retrieved November 19, 2012
from http://www.white-clouds.com/iclc/cliej/cl30SA.pdf.
Assessment on Farmers’ Acceptability of Organic Farming in Tuba, Benguet |
PARAN, SHIRLY P. APRIL 2013