Evaluating library collections and support services for distance learning programme : a study of e-PJJ students’ perceptions of PTAR UiTM, Malaysia / Halimatun Saadiah Roselley and Fuziah Mohd Nadzar

This study was a descriptive research to determine the distance learning
students’ perceptions of library collections and library support services provided by the
Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Razak (PTAR) to support the distance learning programme at the
Faculty of Information Management, UiTM. Two research questions guided this study: (1)
What are the distance learning students’ perceptions on the current PTAR’s collections?
and (2) What are the distance learning students’ perceptions on PTAR’s support services
for the distance learning programme? A structured survey questionnaire was developed
to address these research questions. The questionnaires were administered to 138
distance learning students of the Faculty of Information Management, UiTM during their
weekend classes. The findings revealed that most of the respondents were satisfied
with the provision of library collections, which indicate that PTAR had been able to meet
the needs of distance learning students in terms of its collections. However, this study
found that most of the respondents were not satisfied with the library support services
they received as distance learning students, especially PTAR’s web OPAC and PTAR’s
reference assistance. The investigation into the distance learning students’ perceptions
on library collections and support services for distance learning programmes may provide
some insights for assessing and improving PTAR’s library services for distance learning
programmes in the future.