Assessing Digital Collection Availability and Quality to Support Academic Information Needs at UIN Madura

Abstract

Research Purpose. This study evaluates the extent to which digital collections provided by the UPA Library of Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Madura meet academic information needs in terms of adequacy, currency, accessibility, and usefulness. Research Methods. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were gathered through direct observation, institutional documents, and semi-structured interviews involving two librarians, five lecturers, and six students. Data Analysis. Interview, observational, and documentary data were organized into themes, cross-compared, and interpreted iteratively. Source and method triangulation were applied to identify consistent patterns and divergent user experiences. Results. The digital collection ecosystem primarily consists of E-Library, Rumah Jurnal, Repository, and Etheses. Collectively, these platforms house 5,392 e-book titles, 30 institutional journals comprising 414 issues, 806 selected repository items, and 8,086 final-project records. Users reported that these resources effectively support teaching, research, assignments, and thesis preparation. Namun, they also highlighted uneven disciplinary coverage, shortages of specialized and international literature, access and reading restrictions, retrieval difficulties, limited service promotion, and intermittent network or server issues. Conclusions. The adequacy of digital collections cannot be judged solely by size; it inherently depends on disciplinary relevance, currency, accessibility, discoverability, and practical usability. This study contributes an integrated evaluative perspective by treating four functionally distinct digital platforms as a unified institutional information ecosystem while triangulating evidence from collections, management, and user experience. These insights underscore the need for subject-based collection updates, streamlined discovery and access, enhanced user assistance, more reliable infrastructure, and integrated usage analytics.

Keywords: Academic Library; Collection Development; Digital Collections; Information Needs; UIN Madura