Abstract

Academic libraries have adopted the use of off-campus access systems in facilitating remote access to licensed electronic resources. Although they are widely used, users often face difficulties, like broken links, bad redirecting and authentication problems that hinder their academic tasks Despite the growing reliance on these systems, there is a lack of empirically validated frameworks for evaluating their functional suitability in academic library environments. This study examines attributes that influence the functional suitability of off-campus access systems, and develops an evaluation framework to address this gap. The study used a descriptive research design, and sampled 384 student users from three universities in Kenya. The identified functional suitability attributes were confirmed using reliability analysis, correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple regression modelling. Based on the empirical results, the study developed and operationalized a Functional Suitability Evaluation Framework. The Framework incorporates empirically derived weights: functional correctness (0.390), functional appropriateness (0.340), and functional completeness (0.270), for the three functional suitability dimensions, and is supported by an evaluation tool and scoring guide. The study provides libraries and ICT departments with an evidence-based framework for systematically evaluating and improving the performance of off-campus access systems.

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