Scholarly electronic databases and library & information sciences students in Croatia: motivations, uses and barriers.

Introduction. The study investigated library and information science students' motivations for and experiences with electronic database searching. Method. Data were gathered through a self-administered print survey in May 2014 among undergraduate and graduate library and information science students at three Croatia's state universities. Analysis. Quantitative analysis was conducted on 209 correctly completed questionnaires using the SPSS statistical package. Besides descriptive statistics, Chi-Square tests, T-tests, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney Test and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to test possible differences between the groups in the sample. Statistical difference was tested at the level of 95%. Results. Almost all respondents indicated that they obtained electronic database training at university, but only slightly more than a half think that they are good or very good at searching this source of information. Although the majority of respondents indicated that they are intrinsically motivated to use electronic databases, they reported a more frequent use of Google than electronic databases when writing academic papers. Among the main barriers related to electronic database use respondents reported limited access to databases from home, the habit of using Google when searching for information either for private or academic purposes and difficulties with understanding the language (English) of publications available in databases. Conclusion. The results of the study could be used by university teachers and librarians when organizing their electronic resources, promoting their use and preparing information literacy classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]