Abstract:
Today, academic libraries are facing unprecedented challenges due to the vast availability of
online information sources. The new generations of undergraduates, who are the main user
group of academic libraries are highly tech-savvy and belong to the demographic cohort of
digital natives. There is a dire need for academic libraries to evolve and adapt to the needs
of new generations of users to thrive in the future. The objectives of the study are to identify
library usage (2013-2023), underpinning reasons, and future expectations of undergraduates of
the University of Colombo. It incorporates a qualitative research methodology and a single-site
case study approach. This study consists of two phases. In phase 1, annual reports and other
internal documents of the Library were analysed to determine the number of books borrowed
during the period. In phase 2, in-depth interviews were conducted with undergraduates
representing Level 1-4 from all the faculties served by the Main and Science Libraries. Twentyfour
subjects were interviewed for a total of 8 hours until data saturation and analysis was
conducted using the interpretive discourse analytical approach. Data obtained through ...
