| This study was driven by the growing importance of electronic information resources in university libraries. The focus was graduate students' information needs. Conceptual framework was Dervin's sense-making theory, modified by Kari, to clarify research questions and the survey, which examined Saudi students' information actions (needs, seeking, and use) at Umm Al-Qura University, King Saud University, and King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals.; Variables were gender, age, degree, major, English proficiency, Internet experience, and university. The sample was 10% of graduate students (502). SPSS analyzed 480 responses, producing descriptive and inferential statistics.; Half of graduate students used library electronic resources for academic information needs. A chi-square test found a significant relationship between students' use of library electronic resources and situational variables. About half of users needed resources for class assignments (61.1%), thesis or dissertation (59.8%), and/or personal use (47.1%). Only 18.4% needed electronic information for class presentations and 8.6% for other purposes. The library's electronic resources were never ranked as the first information strategy of the six. Kendall's tau-b test indicated a significant relationship between strategies and English proficiency. Most users always accessed the Online Catalog (59.0%) and the Internet (60.2%), but only sometimes electronic journals (52.9%), databases (50.4%), and other website links (45.1%). ANOVA revealed significant differences between English proficiency and use frequency of resources.; Most users made sense of information from electronic resources. However, they could not tell if they achieved information success or overall satisfaction. ANOVA showed significant differences between major and usefulness of information. The main barriers were insufficient instructions and not enough librarians to help. Other barriers were insufficient computers/labs, libraries did not improve students' information technology skills, difficulty accessing Internet and library electronic resources, clarity/ease of use, and relationship to major.; The study showed that electronic information resources of Saudi university libraries are under-utilized because they are not meeting graduate student needs. Most of the students were deterred from using electronic resources, due to barriers. Users often found these resources not useful for their needs, further discouraging use. Although graduate students' information seeking situations were very diverse, usefulness of library electronic information was questionable. |
