A Study on Competitive Examination Resources usage by Aspirants in Public Libraries of Karnataka

Public libraries have been disseminating resources to students, job seekers, and the public in recent years. In all the districts of Karnataka, the city/district central libraries have a separate section called the Civil Services / Competitive Exam Section, which provides specialized resources for competitive exam aspirants. This study discusses the usage of competitive examination resources by aspirants in the public libraries of Karnataka. The questionnaire was designed with the study’s objectives in view, and the prepared questionnaires were distributed, 60 each, to five selected city central libraries in Bangalore City. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed, out of which 250 were received. The study’s significant findings were that 52.40% of respondents are male, and 48.40% of respondents are in the age group of 26 to 30. 54% of respondents are undergraduates, mostly from rural areas and unemployed. Surprisingly, 51.20% of respondents do not have a public library membership. Most of the respondents who visit the public library to prepare for competitive exams were advised by friends (58.80%) to use the public library. Interestingly, 65.60% of the respondents visit the public library daily. Most of the aspirants were preparing for the KPSC and UPSC competitive exams. Most aspirants are satisfied with the availability of resources for competitive exams in public libraries. However, some respondents face inaccurate and outdated information resources while preparing for a competitive exam in public libraries; hence, the public library must provide accurate and up-to-date information for competitive exam aspirants. The competitive exam aspirants should utilize the resources and services of the competitive exam section at an optimum level to succeed in their competitive exams.