An analysis of the access to academic resources in higher study in Bangladesh: a case study of the University of Dhaka

For undergraduate students, especially in the universities of developing countries like Bangladesh, access to proper academic resources remains a crucial issue. Insufficiency of library resources and structural capacities is a troubling factor in ensuring the students’ proper access to resources. Besides, management deficiencies also make it difficult for the students to track down or get hold of the necessary study materials. In this age of globalization and digitalization, e-resources of learning are promising hubs of academic resource distribution, but many undergraduate students in Bangladesh lack any direction or support from the universities to get access to these digital resources. This paper attempts to sketch the problems and prospects of access to academic resources in undergraduate education in Bangladesh through a case study on the University of Dhaka. It studies the students’ access to four distinct areas of academic resources: University library facilities, departments’ seminar library facilities, E-resources, and programs like seminars, symposiums, etc. A questionnaire survey is conducted on a sample of undergraduate students. A KII with the deputy librarian of the Central Library and structured interviews with seminar library management staff are conducted for collecting multidimensional data. This study finds that a varied range of resources is available for the students in the four sources examined. The problem lies in the information gap, lack of updating, and lack of students’ enthusiasm. Prospective programs include a few projects of integrating library resources and digitization of library books.