Enhancing Access to Library Electronic Resources through an E-library Portal: The RCSI Bahrain Library Experience

Abstract

The library portal project aimed to improve accessibility and visibility of the Library’s online resources, simultaneously enhancing the user experience. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the e-library portal on the usage of library electronic resources at RCSI Bahrain. Data was collected from library statistical reports. Usage reports from the portal were collected for the year 2018-19 and from individual vendors for the previous years. The study shows that the e-library portal has increased overall usage of library electronic resources. The recommendations for improving the e-portal service include: Upgraded interfaces and compatibility assessments, continuous collaboration between librarians and faculty in selecting and acquiring the most appropriate format of resources to support the curriculum and research needs of the users, well planned and executed marketing strategies for the resources, Workshops/ training in the use of resources and Assessment of the collection to ensure quality and relevance. The development and launch of the portal was not simply a means of enhancing current services and providing a user-friendly platform to access all resources. The portal changed the image of the library from a physical space to a digital companion in student life. Even though the launch of the portal has increased usage of electronic resources, the research needs to be extended to further years to review the access through portal. The library portal has increased the usage but there might be several other underlying factors adding to this, which need to be considered.