A Study of the Use of Books of Health Sciences Library, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University

Abstract

             This study analyzed the content proportion and usage of printed books by subject area at Health Sciences Library, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University in the 2023 academic year, focusing on alignment with the curricula at undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. A survey research approach with descriptive statistics—percentages and average book usage per title—was used. A total of 21,578 printed books were cataloged in the ALIST system, classified by the Library of Congress Classification and the National Library of Medicine Classification. Most books were in W–WZ (Medicine and related fields) with 18,497 volumes (85.72%), followed by QS–QZ (Basic Clinical Sciences) with 2,827 volumes (13.10%) and Q–QR (General Sciences) with 254 volumes (1.18%). Compared to Thailand’s 2001 academic library standards, the number of books met or exceeded the undergraduate and master’s level benchmarks but fell below the doctoral level.
          The book-to-user ratio exceeded the standard in seven subject areas, except for Medical Science (faculty level). Regarding usage, borrowing data showed 68,350 total loans, averaging 3.17 times per book. QS–QZ had the highest usage (10,697 loans; 3.78/book), followed by W–WZ (57,653 loans; 3.12/book)