The Degree of Importance That Built Environment Postgraduate Students Attaches to Specific Library Services: A South Africa Higher Education Case Study

Over 10,000 students register each year for various postgraduate (PG) degrees across institutions in South Africa with majority of the students relying on the resources that the host universities libraries offers. This paper assesses the degree of importance that the Built Environment Postgraduate Students in a South African higher education attach to specific library services when undertaking their Postgraduate studies. The data used in this research were derived from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were collected via an online questionnaire that was sent out to Built Environment Postgraduate students who include: Postgraduate diploma degrees, Masters, doctoral and post-doctoral students. Out of the 500 questionnaires that were sent out, an 82 % response rate was achieved, representing a total of 410 collected questionnaires. The questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistic procedures. Findings from the questionnaire survey revealed that research commons, learning commons, archives and the online databases were what the PG students attached the most importance as contributory to their studies. The study does not only contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the degree of importance that built environment students attaches to library services but also assist with an understanding of the factors that higher institutions need to focus on when updating services in their Postgraduate Learning Centers; the library.