Tag Archives: Use

SERIALS COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS

AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SERIALS COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS/RESEARCHERS IN NATIONAL ANIMAL PRODUCTION RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NAPRI) LIBRARY ZARIA

ABSTRACT

This research work investigated availability and use of serial collections by students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Library Zaria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. The result of the findings revealed that the serial collections are available in the library. Journals 67(74.4%), newsletter 73(81.1%), magazine 85(94.4%), CD-ROM 90(100%), and yearbook directories 74(82.2%), are most use by respondents. The findings also revealed that the purpose of respondents (students) using serial collections is for examination 90(100%), research 75(83.3%), assignment 61(67.8%), and to get current information 83(92.2%). It was then noted that the challenges faced by students while using serial collections are lack of borrowing facilities in the serial section 80(88.9%), poor attitude of the staff to students 81(90%), inadequate reading facilities in the serial section 90(100%), and power failure/interruption 83(92.2%). In the light of the findings from this study, the researcher concluded that a large percentage of the population were very aware of serials like newspapers, journals and magazines available and makes use of these serials adequately. It was therefore recommended that library management should expedite action on the online data entry because when it is fully accomplished, it will facilitate quick and easy information access in the serials library.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

The basic purpose of an academic library is to provide sufficient information for making informed decisions by users. Academic libraries normally provide for educational needs of students, to support the teaching staff in their teaching roles and provide for research activities of both the students and teaching staff. The academic library collections must reflect the subject interests of the institutions. It must also be adequate in terms of quality, quantity and variety. The library does this through useful selection and acquisition of materials for teaching learning and research; process and organization of the materials for easy retrieval: and dissemination of information encourages their active exploitation.

Library is an educational tool, which constitutes important components in the infrastructure of knowledge in institutions research and teaching, particularly to make information accessible to the students. Library’s operations are divided into various sections, which include; Reference section, Technical section, and Serials section etc. The importance of Serial collections to students in institution of higher learning such as the academic cannot be overemphasized particularly in academic and university libraries. This is so, because the library resources provide the users with up-to-date information resources that can assist them in their academic pursuit especially in research and learning.

Meanwhile, Serials have historically and presently focused on the provision of current or up-to-date information in general or specific fields of study, this is one of the reasons why according to Woodward (2018) it constitutes “a major part of the collection of academic libraries and also accounts for a large sum of the library expenditure, the academic library inclusive”. The academic library is an integral part of tertiary institutions and accounts for majority of the information material holdings of a tertiary institution, serving all and sundry especially staff and students of a tertiary institution. To further underline the importance of the academic library to a tertiary institution, Kwampong (2014) stated that “the academic library is the heart and aorta of any academic institution, he went further to state that the health and effectiveness of any academic institution depends on the state of health of the library in that academic institution”. The academic library therefore, cannot claim to be the determining factor for the state of excellence of its parent body i.e. the institution where it is situated, if it cannot provide the immediate needs of individuals in that institution, which it can only do through the provision of information materials. Immediate needs as the name implies refers to current information gaps that individuals have identified during the course of their activities on a specific field of study, therefore, the academic library is obligated to be current in its holdings so as to fill immediate information gaps as they are discovered. If immediate needs are not met, the academic library is considered to be inert and moribund which results in an inert and moribund academic institution and automatically low standard of excellence for patrons by the academic library is witnessed as it serves especially undergraduates.

Apart from books, Serials form a vital part of the academic library’s collection for meeting the immediate needs of patrons in its community especially undergraduates for the purpose of this study. Academic libraries acquire, process and make Serials available to its patrons who are usually undergraduates through continuous subscription. Serial are usually treated separately in libraries i.e. they are acquired, processed and disseminated separately due to rate of subscription and peculiarity of its nature. The unit responsible for Serials management is the Serials unit, which was described by Oni (2016) as “the unit responsible for Serials operations”. Osborn (2014) defined Serials as “a printed work that appears regularly, founded with the expectation of unlimited duration, which is not predominantly concerned with events of the day or else it pays attention only to the latest development in a special field”. In addition to this, Harold (2014) describes Serials as “any publication bearing either chronological or numerical designations issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely”. The definitions above not only describe Serials literature but also underlay the major importance of Serials: providing current information. This importance is very essential to the relevance of the academic library to its immediate community and the general population. Kinds of Serials include journals, newspapers, newsletters, proceedings, transactions of societies and other periodicals like abstracts and indexes. These types of Serials vary in content and interval of appearance. Daily Newspapers constitute the highest rate of issues because of its daily publications, but it doesn’t provide information on specific fields of study, it takes a little of everything in one issue. Unlike journals, that will not be published daily but focuses on the specifics in a field of study. Serials are usually in print formats but with the advent of information technology, Serials are not computerized appearing in e-formats.

A brief look at the origin of Serials show that, according to Osborn (2014), Serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of Serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of Serials up to the 2014s when Serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue. A brief look at the origin of Serials, according to Osborn (2014), Serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of Serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of Serials up to the 2014s when Serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue for undergraduates. As the “receiving” group, undergraduates are expected to use information usually based on specific courses of study for assignments, reports, presentations, seminars, and final year projects, this is encouraged and expected of the undergraduate for excellent performance. The academic library located in the university should be open to undergraduates for the use of its Serials, as Serials are vital information materials providing the latest in a field of study and suiting the needs of the learning group, which will always have immediate needs. This is supported by Fayose (2016) when he stated that Serials are very useful because they are the most up-to-date materials in the library and that articles in Serials are written by experts in the field, making them reliable and precise. Although, even with the enormous benefits of Serials to the academic performance of undergraduates, it seems undergraduates do not recognize this, or they ignore the benefits they can derive from the use of Serials and some cases the few undergraduates who are interested in the use of Serials are denied access, a brief look at some findings show this.

The explosion of knowledge and publications of all kinds, conventional or non-conventional, means the universe of materials has grown much larger. One very important set of library materials in the library is Serials. A Serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition includes periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks directories, etc., journals, and memoirs proceedings, transactions of societies, monographic series, and unnumbered series. The Anglo American Cataloguing Rules (2013) define Serial as a ‘continuing resource issued in a succession of discrete parts usually bearing numbering that has no predetermined conclusion for example, print and electronics journal, magazines, continuing directories, annual reports, newspapers and monographic serves’.

This is why authors such as Attama and Ezema (2002) defined Serials as publications issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to continued indefinitely. The term thus embraces such materials as periodicals, magazines, annuals which include reports, yearbooks, directories, proceedings, and transactions etc. Serials formed the backbone of research collections as a result academic libraries cannot do without it because of the usefulness to researchers, scholars, and investigators. They see Serial collections as sine qua non to the development of research activities in academic environment.

The Library Serial collections/materials were established to serve the Academic libraries. It coordinates the collections and services of the academic Library. The administration of the Library System is centralized under the academic Librarian. The last years have been a period of rapid growth, with the printed book collection now well stocked. The Library stocks other items as well as current periodical titles. The virtual Library will be available to the academic students and staff online 24/7 via the Internet, regardless of the user’s physical location.

Serials are essential tools of teaching and research in academic endeavor and remain a potential tool for dissemination of knowledge .It is in support of this that Attama and Ezema (2002) stated the importance of Serials in academic environment particularly for undergraduate students, which include the followings:

  1. Serial provide up –to -date information on any issue than textbooks.
  2. It supplies scientific and discoveries and results of latest findings.
  3. It makes researchers frequent and current in the frontiers of knowledge.
  4. It provides a first hand and detailed information on a particular subject and also it provides empirical evidence on issue being treated.

According to Okiy (2013) the Serials constitute an important part of the resources of an academic library because, they provide the latest information on research and current affairs. For this reason, it is necessary for the Serials division to be as complete in its holdings as possible in order to support the teaching, learning, recreations and research programmes of the University. The Serials collection is made up of both current and backsets of periodicals for lecturers and students to access within the library but cannot be borrowed for home reading. Ogbomo (2014) defines Serials as “a publication issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely”. Serials include journals, magazines, bulletins and newsletters, proceedings learned societies and associations etc. they may be published daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly etc the search for information on any subject in an academic library must include the examination of Serial publication because they current information about new ideas or discoveries and keep researchers abreast of growth of knowledge in their areas of investigation.

In the selection and acquisition of materials, the Serials librarian and collection development librarian work closely with the university librarian. However, the libraries welcome recommendations from patrons and faculty lecturers. Broadus (2015) asserts that Selection must be given due importance because funds are always limited, the available money should be spent wisely to meet the needs of users towards fulfilling the objectives of supporting, teaching, learning and research needs of the University. The Serial Liberian should be able to satisfy the patrons by selecting and acquiring their immediate and anticipated needs. Collection management involves managing the use of library collection, its storage, its organisation and making it accessible to users. The process of collection management has become very challenging and complex. As observed by Friend (2014), basic collection management activities include analysis of user needs, inter and intra-library communication, policy development, budgeting and allocation of resources, contract negotiations, macro-evaluations of collection, micro-evaluation for selection, relegation, preservation or withdrawal of stock and system evaluation. So this study intends to find out the availability and use of Serial resources by student/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.

Historical Background of National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria

The National Animal Production Research Institute had a primordial beginning as Shika Cattle Stud farm in 1928 used for selecting indigenous breeds of bulls for breeding native herds. In 1954, research into sown pastures and range management commenced and in 1962 it became Shika Grassland Research Station under the Institute for Agricultural Research of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The Decree No 35 of August 27, 1973 and the Research Institutes (Establishment) order of November, 1975 gave birth to the National Animal Production Research Institute on July 1, 1976. The Institute is funded by and financially accountable to the Federal Government but administratively under the Ahmadu Bello University.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Students in the academic community are mainly concerned with one major  pre-occupation: learning. Learning in tertiary institutions therefore, goes beyond class lectures or the traditional lecturer-student interaction in class. Students are expected to conduct research for immediate needs such as continuous assignment and assessment test, further reading apart from class notes, presentations and ultimately final year projects which Serials are capable of providing information for. However, these students have unlimited access to Serials in the academic libraries and even the internet. Researchers have shown that high price of subscription to Serials both print and online, budget cuts by academic management, lack of internet access, inadequate basic search skills, ignorance and so on are the major challenges. These challenges in turn bounce back on the students in Nigeria and this seems to be affecting academic performance and overall knowledge standard, this as well escalates to affect the educational standard of the entire nation. The role of academic libraries, open access journals and other sources for current Serials is to provide students with immediate information needs. However, there appears to be lack of access to these Serials or restriction to their use.

Moreso, in developed countries, use of Serial library resources is easy because of it availability nature, but in developing countries like Nigeria, available literature and the researcher’s personal experience have shown a low use of Serial resources in library by the students because of the observed inadequacies and lack of knowledge of their availability by the students. It is against this background that this study investigates the availability and use of Serials library resources by students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.

1.3       Research Questions

  1. What are the types of Serial collections available for students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria?
  2. To what extent do students/researchers use Serial collections in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria?
  3. For what purpose do students/researchers use Serial collections in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria?
  4. What are the challenges facing the use of Serial collections by the students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria?
  5. What are the solutions to the use of Serial collections by the students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria?

1.4       Objectives of the Study

            Objectives of the study are:

  1. To identify the types of Serial collections available in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.
  2. To find out the extent at which the students/researchers make use of Serial collections in National Animal
  3. Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.To examine the purpose for the use of Serial collections by the students/researcher in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.
  4. To identify the challenges facing the use of Serial collections by the students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria.
  5. To find out possible solutions to the challenges facing the use of Serial collections by the students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria

1.5       Significance of the Study           

The study is essential because it is hoped to provide an insight into availability and use of Serial resources by students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria. The study would reveal the effect of non-availability and low usage of Serial resources by students/researchers. The recommendations that may be given would be important to our government policy makers at the federal, states and local government levels.

The study will provide lecturers, school authorities and government the dangers and damage of non-availability of Serial resources and its effects on the academic performance or achievement of students. Finally, it shall serve as a veritable source of information to students and researchers. Also, school authorities would find the finding of this study useful. They could use them to detect and prevent such symptoms that are likely to make students’ low academic performance in the selected tertiary institutions

1.6       Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study is restricted to the availability and use of Serial resources by students/researchers in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Zaria only.

The project work of this kind cannot come up without some limitations. The major limitations of the study is finance, limited time at researcher’s disposal, and because of these limitations, this study was only able to select one academic library in Kaduna State. Despite these limitations, due care was taken not to sacrifice quality and in-depth of this study on the iota of time, data and money.

1.7       Operational Definition of Terms

Library: A Library is a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

Serial: A publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.

Serial Collections: This is the action or process of collecting a publication that is issued in successive parts. Examples are periodicals, magazines, journals, newspapers, annual reports, and series. Journal and periodical are terms also used to describe such publications.

Use: An act that brings something into services for a particular purpose.

Availability: This is the quality of being able to be used or obtained.

Periodicals: Periodicals are form of magazines or newspaper published at regular intervals.

Virtual Library: A Virtual Library is a collection of resources available on one or more computer systems, where a single interface or entry point to the collections is provided

Internet: The internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

Students: These are people who go to school and are learning something. Students can be children, teenagers, or adults who are going to school, but it may also be other people who are learning, such as in college or university. A younger student is often called a pupil.

Researchers: These are people who carry out academic or scientific research.

 

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INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS ON THE USE OF E-LIBRARY RESOURCES

INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS ON THE USE OF E-LIBRARY RESOURCES BY PART-TIME STUDENTS IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY, EKPOMA, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of information literacy skills on the use of e-library resources by part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State. The population of the study comprised all the 3215 students of the part-time programme. The descriptive survey method was adopted for the study, questionnaire was used for data collection and random sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 200. Out of the 200 copies of questionnaire administered, 167 were retrieved and analysed using simple percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings from the study showed that majority of respondents indicated that E-books (mean=3.44), e-journals (mean=3.43) and electronic database (mean=3.18) are available at the university library. Also, majority of the respondents indicated that they can recognize when there is need for information (mean=3.69) but can neither locate relevant information to satisfy their information needs (mean=1.78), evaluate information sources critically to determine if they are relevant to their information need (mean=1.53) nor use information in an ethical way (mean=2.07). Findings also revealed that majority of the respondents acquire information literacy skills on their own through the use of textbooks (mean=3.12) and on the internet (mean=3.53). Furthermore, it was discovered that the effects of information literacy skills on undergraduate students include ease of access (3.38), ease of use (3.31) and confidence in using e-library resources (3.35). Finally, the challenges faced by majority of the respondents include incessant electric power outage (3.10), lack of ICT and information literacy skills (2.59), limited time given to each user of the e-library (3.44). Recommendations put forward include that universities should adopt and fully implement the information literacy competency standard, that one-on-one instruction on e-library resources and their use be offered in schools.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Information explosion in the present information age has made it increasingly impossible for students in higher institutions of learning to learn everything they need to know in their field of study within a few years at school. To become independent, lifelong learners even after school, students need to be equipped with critical skills amongst which are information literacy skills. As the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy explains, “Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand.”

In recent years Information Literacy has become a global issue and many Information Literacy initiatives have been documented throughout the world particularly as it relates to higher education. According to the American Library Association, information literacy is the ability to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information”. Information Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. Information literacy skills empower people with the critical skills which should enable them to become independent lifelong learners. These skills enable people to apply their knowledge from the familiar environment to the unfamiliar and to ensure that people get a lifelong education, libraries should be made accessible and library services should be made available at all places, to all sections of the society.

Now, the information society is characterized by a constantly increasing volume of information as well as advancements in information and communication technologies and to say that information literacy is becoming increasingly important, is to state the obvious, because being able to effectively access and use library resources especially those of electronic nature requires information literacy (Arms, 2005). Libraries, according to Nwalo (2000), are primarily set up to acquire, organise and make accessible to users, needed information resources in the best possible format and within the quickest possible time. University libraries on their part have the responsibility of providing a wide range of resources to meet undergraduate students’ research needs, collect information for their assignments and term papers, prepare for examinations and broaden their general knowledge, thereby enabling them to become independent individuals and to be able to add their own quota to the society. In addition, undergraduate students may need these information resources to write articles and to collaborate with others elsewhere in the world and they can locate and access their needed e-resources in the university libraries, the reason it becomes necessary Nigerian university libraries have been shifting their preferences from print to electronic resources.

Electronic resources are increasingly available in university libraries, thereby making it possible for students to access and use current and relevant literature for studies and research. Over the last decade, a significant transformation has been noticed in collection development policies and practices. Print medium is quickly giving way to the electronic form of materials. In an electronic library (or e-library), resources are stored and made available in digital forms, and the services of the library are also made available electronically. These services are made available frequently over the Internet so that users can access electronic materials remotely. This refers to electronic services (or e-services) which most libraries are trying to embrace in the digital environment. As libraries embrace the digital environment, their most crucial role is not that of providing e-library resources, but of establishing services that facilitate access to available information.

E-library resources, as defined by Case et al. (2004), are information sources that are available and can be accessed electronically through such computer networked facilities as online library catalogues, the internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), CD-ROM databases, etcetera. The electronic resources could either be subscribed to or be digitized in-house. It is true that the library has long been perceived as a building with walls filled with books for reading, but as Issa (2003) notes, librarianship as a profession came into existence to preserve and make widely accessible the records of human experience, much of which have been captured in electronic form. The emergence of Information Technology (IT) has recreated the face of librarianship and has helped the profession to further its purpose. In fact, IT has permeated evenly into our daily activities and as Okerulu (2003) states, it has created limitless opportunities for open access to information.

These opportunities cannot be harnessed where there is lack of the requisite information literacy on the part of the users, the undergraduate students in this case, to do so. To a large extent, the use of e-library resources is influenced by the level of information literacy skills as well as other related skills possessed by the users. University undergraduates, being the major population that is been served by the university library require the necessary skills with which to use computers, the internet as well as other information-centric electronic devices. Where this is absent or inadequate, the availability of e-library resources will be of little or no impact on their academics and their use of the library. Beyond this, university undergraduates need to be encouraged by their lecturers to use e-resources for references to enable students to use and locate these resources. This may increase the number of students acquiring the necessary information retrieval skills. If students are not encouraged to use electronic resources by their lecturers, and if information skills training occur outside the curriculum, they will be less likely to make use of electronic resources for academic purposes. This calls for the university library to put in place more effective strategies in its sensitization and training of end-users.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

To excel academically, university undergraduates need information for a variety of academic-related activities and the library should have a vast collection of electronic resources that can meet any of these purposes. In the 21st century where information explosion has become more of a challenge than an advantage, information users are faced with challenge of using these resources effectively and responsibly. This is because, effective and responsible use of information requires information literacy and as such, where there is lack of the skills required to use e-library resources, the benefits cannot be harnessed. Dadzie (2008) stated that studies have shown that research effort on university undergraduates’ information literacy skills are lopsided towards lack and how to develop such skills. This has inevitably created a gap in knowledge as regards how the lack of information literacy skills and how it affects the effective use of e-library resources among undergraduate students. This study therefore aims to address this gap in knowledge. 

1.3       Objectives of the Study

            The overall objective of this research is to study the influence of information literacy skills on the use of e-library resources by part-time undergraduate students in Ambrose Alli University. The specific objectives are to:

  1. ascertain the e-library resources that are available at the Ambrose Alli University library
  2. identify the level of information literacy skills possessed by part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University
  3. investigate how part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University acquire their information literacy skills
  4. find out the influence of part-time undergraduate students’ information literacy skills on their use of e-library resources
  5. find out the challenges part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University encounter in accessing and using e-library resources.

1.4       Research Questions

  1. What are the e-library resources that are available at the Ambrose Alli University library?
  2. What is the level of information literacy skills possessed by part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University?
  3. How do part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University acquire their information literacy skills?
  4. What are the effects of part-time undergraduate students’ information literacy skills on their use of e-library resources?
  5. To identify the challenges part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University encounter in accessing and using e-library resources?

1.5       Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is limited to part-time undergraduate students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. This study focuses on studying the influence of information literacy skills on the use of e-library resources by part-time university undergraduate students.

1.6       Significance of the Study

Information literacy is a set of skills required by a person to find, retrieve, analyze and use information. Information literacy is directly linked with lifelong learning, critical thinking, and learning to learn concepts of education. Information literate individuals improve the society’s quality of life in general and academically. Information literacy skills are of prime importance in order to achieve every body’s academic goals. Truly information literacy is the foundation of a literate society.

This study will be of benefit to library management, education policy makers, researchers as well as students. For library management, this study will serve as an eye-opener towards the need to provide up-to-date user education and information literacy skills training and development to students especially in the use of electronic resources as this will in the long run positively affect their use of the library’s electronic resources. Education policy makers will find the recommendations from the present study useful in the area of curriculum development towards ensuring that students are encouraged to develop information literacy skills that will be of benefit to them even beyond school. For researchers, this study will serve as a reference point for researchers carrying out similar or related research. Finally, this study will be of importance to students by highlighting in clear terms, the need for them to acquire and develop information literacy skill so as to have access to and make judicious use of the library’s electronic resources for their own benefit.

1.7       Limitations of the Study

The problem of time constraints was a challenge as the time used to undertake the study was limited. As a result of other academic activities, limited time was made available for the study. One other form of limitation was in the area of finance as the research required substantial amount of funds to see it through to the end especially in the aspects of production of questionnaires to cover a substantial number of prospective respondents and for mobility during the period and for the purpose of the research.

1.8       Operational Definition of Terms    

Some technical terms used in the course of this research need clarification through definition for the purpose of good understanding of this work. These definitions are only limited to the context of this study.

Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Information Literacy: The ability of being able to identify information sources, access information, evaluate it, and use it effectively and efficiently.

Information Literacy Skills: The set of skills required to identify information sources, access information, evaluate it, and use it effectively, efficiently, and ethically.

E-Library: The electronic or online library where one can have access to books, journals, novels, articles, or any other information in electronic format.

E-Library Resources: A collection of information-bearing resources kin organized electronic form, available

Undergraduate Student: A university student who has not yet obtained a first degree.

 

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AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SERIALS COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS

AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SERIALS COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS (A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNICS AUCHI AND DELTA STATE POLYTECHNICS OGHARA)

ABSTRACT

This research work investigated availability and use of serial collections by students in Federal Polytechnic Auchi and Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. The result of the findings revealed that the serial collections are available in the library. Journals 67(74.4%), newsletter 73(81.1%), magazine 85(94.4%), CD-ROM 90(100%), and yearbook directories 74(82.2%), are most use by respondents. The findings also revealed that the purpose of respondents (students) using serial collections is for examination 90(100%), research 75(83.3%), assignment 61(67.8%), and to get current information 83(92.2%). It was then noted that the challenges faced by students while using serial collections are lack of borrowing facilities in the serial section 80(88.9%), poor attitude of the staff to students 81(90%), inadequate reading facilities in the serial section 90(100%), and power failure/interruption 83(92.2%). In the light of the findings from this study, the researcher concluded that a large percentage of the population were very aware of serials like newspapers, journals and magazines available and makes use of these serials adequately. It was therefore recommended that library management should expedite action on the online data entry because when it is fully accomplished, it will facilitate quick and easy information access in the serials library.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background Of The Study

The basic purpose of an academic library is to provide sufficient information for making informed decisions by users. Academic libraries normally provide for educational needs of students, to support the teaching staff in their teaching role and provide for research activities of both the students and teaching staff. The academic library collections must reflect the subject interests of the institutions. It must also be adequate in terms of quality, quantity and variety. The library does this through useful selection and acquisition of materials for teaching learning and research; process and organization of the materials for easy retrieval: and dissemination of information about the collections and encourages their active exploitation.

Library is an educational tool, which constitutes important components in the infrastructure of knowledge in institution research and teaching, particularly to make information accessible to the students. Library’s operations are divided into various sections, which include; Reference section, Technical section, and Serials section etc. The importance of serial collections to students in institution of higher learning such as the polytechnic cannot be overemphasized particularly in academic and university libraries. This is so, because the library resources provide the users with up-to-date information resources that can assist them in their academic pursuit especially in research and learning.

Meanwhile, serials have historically and presently focused on the provision of current or up-to-date information in general or specific fields of study, this is one of the reasons why according to Woodward (2009) it constitutes a major part of the collection of academic libraries and also accounts for a large sum of the library expenditure, the academic library inclusive. The academic library is an integral part of tertiary institutions and accounts for majority of the information material holdings of a tertiary institution, serving all and sundry especially staff and students of a tertiary institution. To further underline the importance of the academic library to a tertiary institution, Kwampong (2000) stated that the academic library is the heart and aorta of any academic institution, he went further to state that the health and effectiveness of any academic institution depends on the state of health of the library in that academic institution. The academic library therefore, cannot claim to be the determining factor for the state of excellence of its parent body i.e. the institution where it is situated, if it cannot provide the immediate needs of individuals in that institution, which it can only do through the provision of information materials. Immediate needs as the name implies refers to current information gaps that individuals have identified during the course of their activities on a specific field of study, therefore, the academic library is obligated to be current in its holdings so as to fill immediate information gaps as they are discovered. If immediate needs are not meet, the academic library is considered to be inert and moribund which results in an inert and moribund academic institution and automatically low standard of excellence for patrons the academic library serves especially undergraduates.

Apart from books, serials form a vital part of the academic library’s collection for meeting the immediate needs of patrons in its community especially undergraduates for the purpose of this study. Academic libraries acquire, process and make serials available to its patrons who are usually undergraduates through continuous subscription. Serial are usually treated separately in libraries i.e. they are acquired, processed and disseminated separately due to rate of subscription and peculiarity of its nature. The unit responsible for serials management is the serials unit, which was described by Oni (2004) as the unit responsible for serials operations. Osborn (2000) defined serials as a printed work that appears regularly, founded with the expectation of unlimited duration, which is not predominantly concerned with events of the day or else it pays attention only to the latest development in a special field. In addition to this, Harold (2007) describes serials as any publication bearing either chronological or numerical designations issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. The definitions above not only describe serials literature but also underlay the major importance of serials: providing current information. This importance is very essential to the relevance of the academic library to its immediate community and the general population. Kinds of serials include journals, newspapers, newsletters, proceedings, transactions of societies and other periodicals like abstracts and indexes. These types of serials vary in content and interval of appearance. Daily Newspapers constitute the highest rate of issues because of its daily publications, but it doesn’t provide information on specific fields of study, it takes a little of everything in one issue. Unlike journals, that will not be published daily but focuses on the specifics in a field of study. Serials are usually in print formats but with the advent of information technology, serials are not computerized appearing in e-formats.

A brief look at the origin of serials show that, according to Osborn (2000), serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of serials up to the 2000s when serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue. A brief look at the origin of serials show that, according to Osborn (2000), serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of serials up to the 2000s when serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue for undergraduates. As the “receiving” group, undergraduates are expected to use information usually based on specific courses of study for assignments, reports, presentations, seminars, and final year projects, this is encouraged and expected of the undergraduate for excellent performance. The academic library located in the university should be open to undergraduates for the use of its serials, as serials are vital information materials providing the latest in a field of study and suiting the needs of the learning group, which will always have immediate needs. This is supported by Fayose (2005) when he stated that serials are very useful because they are the most up-to-date materials in the library and that articles in serials are written by experts in the field, making them reliable and precise. Although, even with the enormous benefits of serials to the academic performance of undergraduates, it seems undergraduates do not recognize this, or they ignore the benefits they can derive from the use of serials and some cases the few undergraduates who are interested in the use of serials are denied access, a brief look at some findings show this.

The explosion of knowledge and publications of all kinds, conventional or non-conventional, means the universe of materials has grown much larger. One very important set of library materials in the library is serials. A serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition includes periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks directories, etc., journals, and memoirs proceedings, transactions of societies, monographic series, and unnumbered series. The Anglo American Cataloguing Rules (1988) define serial as a ‘continuing resource issued in a succession of discrete parts usually bearing numbering that has no predetermined conclusion for example, print and electronics journal, magazines, continuing directories, annual reports, newspapers and monographic serves’.

This is why authors such as Attama and Ezema (2002) defined serials as publications issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to continued indefinitely. The term thus embraces such materials as periodicals, magazines, annuals which include reports, yearbooks, directories, proceedings, and transactions etc. Serials formed the backbone of research collections as a result academic libraries cannot do without it because of the usefulness to researchers, scholars, and investigators. They see serial collections as sine qua non to the development of research activities in academic environment.

The Library serial collection/material was established to serve the Polytechnic libraries. It coordinates the collections and services of the polytechnic Library. The administration of the Library System is centralized under the polytechnic Librarian. The last years have been a period of rapid growth, with the printed book collection now well stocked. The Library stocks other items as well as current periodical titles. The virtual Library will be available to the polytechnic students and staff online 24/7 via the Internet, regardless of the user’s physical location.

Serials are essential tool of teaching and research in academic endeavor and remain a potential tool for dissemination of knowledge .It is in support of this that Attama and Ezema (2002) stated the importance of serials in academic environment particularly for undergraduate students, which include the followings:

  • Serial provide up –to -date information on any issue than textbooks.
  • It supplies scientific and discoveries and results of latest findings.
  • It makes researchers frequent and current in the frontiers of knowledge.
  • It provides a first hand and detailed information on a particular subject and also it provides empirical evidence on issue being treated.

According to Okiy (2008) the serials constitute an important part of the resources of an academic library because, they provide the latest information on research and current affairs. For this reason, it is necessary for the serials division to be as complete in its holdings as possible in order to support the teaching, learning, recreations and research programmes of the University. The serials collection is made up of both current and backsets of periodicals for lecturers and students to access within the library but cannot be borrowed for home reading. Ogbomo (2000) defines serials as “a publication issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely”. Serials include journals, magazines, bulletins and newsletters, proceedings learned societies and associations etc. they may be published daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly etc the search for information on any subject in an academic library must include the examination of serial publication because they current information about new ideas or discoveries and keep researchers abreast of growth of knowledge in their areas of investigation.

In the selection and acquisition of materials, the serials librarian and collection development librarian work closely with the university librarian. However, the libraries welcome recommendations from patrons and faculty lecturers. Broadus (2001) asserts that Selection must be given due importance because funds are always limited, the available money should be spent wisely to meet the needs of users towards fulfilling the objectives of supporting, teaching, learning and research needs of the University. The serial Liberian should be able to satisfy the patrons by selecting and acquiring their immediate and anticipated needs. Collection management involves managing the use of library collection, its storage, its organisation and making it accessible to users. The process of collection management has become very challenging and complex. As observed by Friend (2000), basic collection management activities include analysis of user needs, inter and intra-library communication, policy development, budgeting and allocation of resources, contract negotiations, macro-evaluations of collection, micro-evaluation for selection, relegation, preservation or withdrawal of stock and system evaluation. So this study intend to find out the availability and use of serial resources by students in tertiary institutions.

Historical Background Of Federal Polytechnic Auchi

Federal Polytechnic Library, Auchi, Edo State is a federal polytechnic library and was established in 1973 by the federal government of Nigeria as a result of federal government efforts to produced technicians, craftsmen, middle and skilled manpower that will help to bring about nation’s economy. The extent law establishing it assigns to the institution the task of producing well trained and highly skilled middle level manpower for the national economy in the areas of engineering technology, science environmental studies, Management studies and Art & Design. The permanent site of the Library is opposite the famous Imo lecture Hall (School of Business). The current building was completed in the year 2000 and commenced services to public in 2001. The Federal Polytechnic Auchi Library has different sections which include: the technical section (acquisition, classifying and cataloguing) circulation section, Administration leaders service, serial section and the andio-visual section. It also has the reprographic section which has different machines for the reproduction of Library materials. The library users the library of congress classification scheme which has mixed notation. The Polytechnic Library stores, a collection of materials relevant to student of the institution teaching and non-teaching staff and people living around Auchi who are carrying out research. Presently, the Library has about 38 staffs.

Delta State Polytechnic Oghara and Federal Polytechnic Auchi libraries are situated at different strategies places in the institutions. Their collection cut-across print and non-print media. They houses information materials in different fields of study namely: engineering, agriculture, computer and information technology, Business Administration etc. These libraries are divided into various units namely collection development unit, technical unit, circulation unit, reference unit, serial unit and audiovisual unit (ICT unit). These units provides different services ranging from current awareness services, research and bibliographic services, bindery services, registration of users, charging and discharging services, reference services all are being set up to meet the information needs of the users etc.

Historical Background Of Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara

Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara was established through a bill that was signed into law by Governor James Onanefe Ibori in November 2002. This is the result of a partnership between the Delta State Ministry of Education and Westminster University, London. The partnership gave birth to the Delta State Higher Education Project (DSHEP).  Located in the agricultural town of Otefe in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara is a manifestation of an excellently conceptualized and articulated vision delivered for the benefit of humanity for entrepreneurial acquisition and advancement. The motto of technology for entrepreneurship underscores the fact of talent and technology skills advancement as tool for critical wealth creation. It therefore explains the role of entrepreneurial and technological skills in creating the abilities, courage, capabilities and managerial competences necessary for economic growth and wealth creation within and beyond Delta State. The mandate of the Polytechnic is to train and empower graduates who will be highly successful professionals armed with all the sufficient skills that are critical to the work place of the 21st century. The aim is to achieve the

  • Status of excellence in computing and information technology (I.T)
  • Qualitative training in specific areas of technology and entrepreneurship as a way of providing opportunity for students to take advantage of their inherent talent and theoretical skills to generate needed entrepreneurial ventures and wealth.
  • Acquisition of entrepreneurship training and technology education, which forms the bedrock for industrialization, growth, development and wealth creation. This in turn will help all Nigerians and the global communities as students create industries and jobs associated with their skills.

The Government of Delta State reached an understanding with the University of Westminster, London to assist in management and technical support for the institutions. The institutions are centres of excellence in Agriculture, Computing and Information Technology, Fashion Design and Arts and Sports. Besides their primary areas of specialization, all students are trained in Computing and Information Technology as well as business and entrepreneurship.

The Otefe-Oghara polytechnic has school that offer National Diplomas in Business Studies (Accountancy, Banking and Finance and Business Administration), Computing and I.T (Computer Science and Statistics) and Engineering (Computer Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering). It also has a School of Preliminary Studies that introduces all students to basic Business Studies and Science Technology.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Students in the polytechnic community are mainly concerned with one major  pre-occupation: learning. Learning in tertiary institutions therefore, goes beyond class lectures or the traditional lecturer-student interaction in class. Students are expected to conduct research for immediate needs such as continuous assignment and assessment test, further reading apart from class notes, presentations and ultimately final year projects which serials are capable of providing information for. However, these students have unlimited access to serials in the academic libraries and even the internet. Researchers have shown that high price of subscription to serials both print and online, budget cuts by polytechnic management, lack of internet access, inadequate basic search skills, ignorance and so on are the major challenges. These challenges in turn bounce back on the students in Nigeria and this seems to be affecting academic performance and overall knowledge standard, this as well escalates to affect the educational standard of the entire nation. The role of academic libraries, open access journals and other sources for current serials is to provide students with immediate information needs. However, there appears to be lack of access to these serials or restriction to their use.

Moreso, in developed countries, use of serial library resources is easy because of it availability nature, but in developing countries like Nigeria, available literature and the researcher’s personal experience have shown a low use of serial resources in library by the students because of the observed inadequacies and lack of knowledge of their availability by the students. It is against this background that this study investigates the availability and use of serials library resources by students in the two polytechnic (Delta State Polytechnic and Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State).

1.3       Objectives of the Study

            Objectives of the study are to:

  1. Identify the types of serial collections available in polytechnic
  2. To find out the extent at which polytechnic students make use of serial collections
  3. Examine the purpose for the use of serial collections by polytechnic students
  4. Identify the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students
  5. Find out probable solutions to the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students

1.4       Research Questions

  1. What are the types of serial collections available for students in polytechnics?
  2. To what extent do polytechnic students use serial collection?
  3. For what purpose do polytechnic students use serial collections?
  4. What are the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students?
  5. What are the solutions to the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students?

1.5       Significance of the Study           

The study is essential because it is hoped to provide an insight into availability and use of serial library resources by students in Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara. The study would reveal the effect of non-availability and low usage of serial library resources by students. The recommendations that may be given would be important to our government policy makers at the federal, state and local state levels.

The study will provide lecturers, school authorities and government the dangers and damage of non-availability of serial library resources and it effect on the academic performance or achievement of students. Finally, it shall serve as a veritable source of information on issues of serials library resources, also, school authorities would find the finding of this study useful. They could use them to detect and prevent such symptoms that are likely to head students’ low academic performance in the selected tertiary institutions

1.6       Scope Of The Study

This study is restricted to the availability and use of serial resources by students in Federal Polytechnic Auchi and Delta State polytechnic Oghara Libraries only.

1.7       Limitation Of The Study

The project work of this kind cannot come up without some limitations. The major limitations of the study is finance, limited time at researcher’s disposal, and because of these limitations, this study was only able to select two polytechnics in Edo State. Despite these limitations, due care was taken not to sacrifice quality and in-depth of this study on the iota of time, data and money.

1.8       Operational Definition of Terms

Below is the definition of the contextual use of terms in the study:

Library: A Library is a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

Serial: A publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.

Serial Collections: This is the action or process of collecting a publication that is issued in successive parts. Examples are periodicals, magazines, journals, newspapers, annual reports, and series. Journal and periodical are terms also used to describe such publications.

Use: An act that brings something into services for a particular purpose.

Availability: This is the quality of being able to be used or obtained.

Periodicals: Periodicals are form of magazines or newspaper published at regular intervals.

Virtual Library: A Virtual Library is a collection of resources available on one or more computer systems, where a single interface or entry point to the collections is provided

Internet: The internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

 

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A SURVEY OF THE USE OF SMARTPHONE BY UNDERGRADUATES

A SURVEY OF THE USE OF SMARTPHONE BY UNDERGRADUATES IN FACULTY OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES   IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY, EKPOMA

ABSTRACT

Smartphone devices are potential avenues for reviewing instructional materials, an invaluable resource for immediate feedback and other education purposes. This study investigated a survey of the use of Smartphone by Undergraduates in Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences in College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used. From a population of 4304 medical students, a sample of 230 students was drawn using accidental sampling technique. Questionnaire was used as data collection instrument and data collected was analyzed using frequency count, percentage and mean statistics. The study revealed high level of awareness and use of smartphones by medical students for their academic works. Result also shows smartphones has made tremendous impact on their medical education most especially with High Speed Browsing, Saves time and money going to cybercafé/college library, Easy and fast internet access. High risk of radiation when using smartphone, Operational  difficulties, high rate of internet subscription, were identified as the major problems they encountered in using smartphones. The study recommended the need for medical university management to collaborate with IT companies to develop smartphones capable of supporting their seeking of medical and health information which improve students’ academic performance. Furthermore, medical college management should collaborate with network service providers to reduce cost of internet subscription to students that will encourage continues use of smartphone to support their seeking of medical and health information.

 

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

 

1.1  Background of the Study

Globalization has changed our lives and one of the ways in which it is changing our lives, every day, is how we communicate; thanks to advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). It is an undeniable fact that technology has become an integral part in today’s society.  In today’s world, digital technology changed so rapidly and integrates into our society at such an accelerated rate, it is hard to keep up with it, let alone reflect on the effects it has on our lives. In line with this, Vieitez, Carcia, and Rodriquez, (2001) expresses that, technological revolution in academic organization has not only improved efficiency but also help reduce the problem of boredom. In addition to this, Roberts, and Pirog, (2013) point out that, the advancement of technology has also been a dominant force in effecting students’ academic life and helps facilitate the knowledge-constructed classroom. To this end, Gaskell and Mills (2010) stresses that, it was proven that mobile phone technologies played an important role in education; also mobile phone technologies offered a major chance in enhancing access to learning and enabling many institutions, especially in higher education to develop learner support as well as learning opportunities in ways which would build on modern techniques. Similarly, Raento, Oulasvirta, and Eagle (2009) added that recent developments in mobile technologies have produced a new kind of device: a programmable mobile phone, the smartphone.

Smartphone are arguable another revolutionary invention of our time, besides computer and internet technologies. Smartphone is one of the most ubiquitous, dynamic and sophisticated trends in communication. Smartphone technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The use of mobile computing devices such as smartphones is rapidly increasing in the population. According to Gartner, Inc., a technology research and advisory firm, by 2013 mobile phones will overtake personal computers (PCs) as the most common Web access device worldwide, and by 2015 over 80% of the cellular phones sold in markets will be smartphones (Gartner Newsroom. 2010). Smartphone evolution from the mobile phone influences how users tend to think of these devices, as reflected in the handset design. Beale, (2005) asserts that Smartphones are predominately communication devices, with additional computing power built in. Smartphones are the new generation of mobile phones; they have emerged over the last few years and already have conquered the market.

Interestingly, Smartphone represents the current pinnacle of mobile phone development, coupling phone capabilities with the additional functionalities of a computer. In this convergence between phone and handheld computer, the phone has the dominant genes. A Smartphone is an increasingly more common type of mobile phone, which can be described as a mobile phone with characteristics similar to the ones of a computer. Student can check e-mail, browse the Internet and add personal functionality by downloading applications using smartphone. Smart products are leading this era and functioning as the new buzzword. Unlike a normal mobile device a smartphone has a vast amount of both local storage and memory. Smartphones have operating units like computers. Smartphones act as mobile entertainment units where a user can: watch videos, listen to music, update blogs, (as well as audio and video blogging.). To this end, Alfawareh and Jusoh, (2014) buttress that Smartphone is a mobile phone running a complete operating system in a manner similar to a traditional computer, which offer advanced computing abilities and connectivity options. They provides high quality performance and quick access to data and information management, mobile audio and audio-visual calls, mobile teleconferencing, sending and receiving emails and quick and easy internet access.

Furthermore, Today’s mobile devices are multifunctional devices capable of hosting a broad range of medical apps (applications) for students in the medical and health sciences. In line with this, Mohapatra et al, (2015) assert that mobile  technology  is  one  of  the  latest  strings  of  technological  innovations  that  can  be integrated into medical education. They also agreed that Smartphone use is increasingly integrated in the daily practice of medicine. Similarly,  Yousuf, (2015) added that Smartphone applications are used in the form of efficient medical communication, research, diagnostic  and  reference  tools,  and  even  in  patient  monitoring  and  examination.  Smartphone technologies can be used in having current information about changes made in course scheduling, deadlines and upcoming events and it can also increase interactivity and collaboration through the use of discussion forums and chat rooms.

However, the use of smartphone entails the process of utilizing smartphone technology and its applications for the purpose of answering a need or providing solution to a problem. There are numerous possibilities of using smartphone technology within and out of the lecture room. According to Koh et al. (2014), they opined that medical  apps  were  perceived  by  medical  students  to  help  improve  their  clinical decision  making,  saved  time,  allowed  faster  access  to  national  clinical  practice  guidelines, allowed faster access to common laboratory reference values, helped in making differential diagnoses,  enabled  useful  medical  related  calculations,  allowed  faster  access  to  reliable sources  of  medical  knowledge,  allowed  faster  access  to  reliable  sources  of  clinical  skills, allowed accurate medicine dosages calculation, allowed easier medicine dosages calculation and allowed faster access to evidence-based medical practice. In the same view, Bruce, (2010), opines that. Students can also access course materials so that they can learn at a convenient time and place. They also can access links to relevant websites, videos, further reading and online tutorials (supplementary activities) that extend or support learning. Emails or text messages can also be used to give instantaneous feedback of students‟ assessment. Smartphone is a major information technology device and students feel the urge to adapt to it in order to ‘‘keep up with the time’’. It can be noted that medical students use smartphone as it relate to their academic performance.

Demaray and Elliott (2010) opine that academic performance is a multidimensional construct composed of the skills, attitudes, and behaviors of a learner which contribute to academic success. Academic performance is the demonstration of a student’s level of competence and mastery of a subject. For a medical student to perform well and be competent in the field of study, it is important that the student make use of relevant and pertinent information that will enhance his/her performance; with smartphones, students have access to any kind of information as it relate to the academic performance at any point, place and time. To this end, Taylor and Harper (2001), portray that smartphones and its use have special place and impact in students’ life and their academic performances specially. The Smartphone is doubtless a tool that has the power to make its user master of his or her own sector of the digital world.

Additionally, with the aid of these smartphones, medical students learn faster outside the classroom by having quick  access  to  the  internet  and  easy  retrieval  of  required  medical  and  health  learning resources while they also keep abreast of recent trend and development as it affects their medical academic performance,  learning  and  research  needs.  Smartphones are redefining the way almost everything is done in the medical academic environment and are a ready tool for faster access to  all  medical  knowledge  geared  towards  achieving  the  medical  learning  and research objectives of the students. Smartphone has now become a part of the daily life of medical students for without it they would be lost in this high tech (technology) world.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Smartphone play  a  very  significant  role  to medical  students in  seeking and gathering information  in order to meet  their  learning and  research  needs. Several relevant medical and health information are available in diverse media which medical students can have access to through their smartphones. It is quite regrettable that despite the numerous advantages of smartphone, most medical students do not know how to use, search or to get the right information in the course of their academic work. Most often, even to synthesize and analyze the information becomes a nightmare to some medical students. These are  some of the major  challenges  the medical students  encountered  in accessing desired information using such mobile devices. The inability of medical students to overcome these problems automatically makes it impossible to explore the potentials of the smartphone. Despite their relative importance in medical education, little is known about use of smartphone on academic performance of medical students. Hence, it is against this backdrop, the researcher wish to investigate, a survey of the use of smartphone by undergraduates in Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The major objective is a survey of the use of smartphone by undergraduates in Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. The specific objective includes the following; to

  1. Find out  the  level  of  awareness  and  use  of  smartphones by medical students  for their academic wor
  2. Find out the relevance/purpose of smartphones by medical stude
  3. Find out some of the medical resources and services smartphones are used for by medical students for their academic wor
  4. Find out the impact of smartphones on academic performance of medical stude
  5. Find out the major problem encountered by medical students in using smartphones in gathering information for their academic wor

1.4       Research Question

The following research questions were formulated for this study:

  1. What is the level of awareness and use of smartphones by medical students?
  2. What is the relevant/purpose of using smartphone by medical students?
  3. What are the medical resources and services that smartphones are used for by medical students for their academic works?
  4. What are the medical apps commonly downloaded by medical students for their academic works?
  5. Is there any impact of use of smartphone on academic performance of medical students?
  6. What are the major problems encountered by medical students when using smartphone?

1.5       Scope of the study

This study investigated a survey of the use of smartphone by undergraduates in Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpo|ma.

1.6       Significance of the study

It is hoped that the findings of this study will benefit various educational stakeholders. It would be useful to medical students in determining the many opportunities that smart phone provides in their academic lives.

Medical lecturers would be guided on how integrating smartphone technology will create a richer environment for teaching and learning.

The smartphone companies would be more informed and therefore invest in providing smartphones at a reduced price.

Curriculum planners and policy makers would be aware of the numerous possibilities of using smartphone technologies in learning, so as to assist in implementing and designing activities to support the various learning styles.

The findings from this study would also complement other studies and provide appropriate information for content developers and mobile learning developers in designing smartphone applications for medical learning at the university level.

This research would contribute to the body of educational research in that it explores students’ academic performance with multiple indicators of learning, which is satisfaction and academic performance. The research may provide literature so as to add more information on innovative use of smartphones to enhance educational experiences of medical university students.

1.7       Limitation of study  

This study involved the following limitations. First, even though, there are other mobile devices that can be used to study academic performance of medical student, this research was only limited to the use of smartphone. Second, this study should have covered the entire medical student in Ambrose Alli University in order to draw a general conclusion on the subject, but it is restricted to students in the faculty of basic medical sciences in Ambrose Alli University due to time and financial constraints. Thirdly, the literature and tools that was used for this research was not easy to come by.

 1.8      Operational definition of terms

The following are the conceptual definitions of key terms used in this study:

Academic performance: the level of students’ academic success in their various subjects.

Mobile application: It is a piece of software that runs on the Internet on a smartphone which can be downloaded from websites. 

Smartphone: A device which has features of both a computer and a mobile phone (cell phone).

Medical student:  A student who enrolled at a medical school, or a person following a course of study leading to qualification as a doctor, medicine, physician, nurse.

Usage: To do something with a device in order to achieve a purpose

University: This is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which grants academic degree in various subject and typically provides undergraduate education and postgraduate education.

INTERNET AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION

ACCESSIBILITY AND USE OF INTERNET AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR ACADEMIC WORKS BY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

ABSTRACT

This study investigated accessibility use of internet as a source of information for academic work by public school teachers in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted and purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 169 respondents, questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, consisting of tables, percentages and mean statistics. The main findings revealed that public school teachers do not have internet facilities in their schools and they access the internet through their personal computers, smart phones and cyber café. Findings also revealed that public school teachers consult the internet to form lesson note, do academic research/personal research, get news and information, communicate via email and social media. They also agreed that internet services have impact on them through access to information anytime and anywhere, to increase the opportunity for scholarly communication with colleagues as well as improve their lesson note. Lack of internet services/connectivity in the school, poor electricity supply, poor funding of school library services (internet services) were the major challenges the respondents faced when using internet services and facilities. The study recommended the public school managements should provide adequate internet facilities in public schools and also make them accessible to public school teachers.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

The convergence of computer and telecommunication has revolutionized information management in the present day information environment. One of the products of this myriad of convergence is the birth of the Internet. In the process of trying to make information available to information seekers and users in the past few years, Internet has become the major source of information. This is so, considering the strategic importance of Internet in information retrieval. The world over have been availed the opportunity of Internet in the enhancement of knowledge and research. The invention of the Internet and on-line information search engines, among others have made this possible.  Yusuf (2005) assert that the field of education has been affected by internet access, which has undoubtedly affected teaching, learning, and research. Education is a fundamental human process; a matter of values and action. The cluster of technologies called the “Internet” has the ability to complement, reinforce, and to enhance the educational process.

The internet is a vast global network that links millions of computers ranging from the smallest handheld personal mobile digital assistants to the most powerful computer systems ever constructed. The power of the internet is that it allows a worldwide community comprising millions of people to communicate, access, and publish information. People are using the internet to gain access to libraries throughout the world, aid in research projects and cross-cultural studies, solve school assignments, and enhance foreign language skills, and simply exchange ideas and studies with their peers. The internet has become a global cultural phenomenon; tens of millions of people have access to the system. It is of the same magnitude as television was in its early years and is the most powerful current trend for societal change. According to Dowlin (2001), opines that “participation in the internet collapses geography and time”. The cost is independent of distance and the information is accessed in real or virtual time with little delay. However, Internet is not self dependent but a network itself. One needs computer or an enabled mobile phone to access the information and other multimedia resources through the internet. Therefore, because of the countless benefits from using the internet especially the educational value, schools now acquire computer systems with telecommunication tools to have access to the internet.

The Internet can be used to source information or for research by browsing the World Wide Web (www) using the Uniform resource locator (URL) to access databases provided electronically by information providers. E-mails can be sent and received; chats and discussion can be conducted in addition to the transaction of e-commerce. In line with this, Anyokoha,(2005) assert that the internet which is usually called information superhighway is simply the interconnectivity of computers that provide a wide range of information in all facets of human endeavors to end-users. Teachers need Internet because of its flexibility and dynamism in information retrieval, storage and processing. Internet is very important to public school teachers because they need to have access to timely, accurate and relevant information for their teaching and research.

Internet sources like the search engines have greatly increased the speed of searching out information. They have brought considerable relief to teachers in secondary school, as they can conveniently walk and browse lessons and discussion and have access to unlimited information. According to Ejizu (2010), the Internet is a global network made up of many smaller networks that enable computer users to share information and resources quickly and easily. The above definition implies that the Internet is a connection of millions of computers around the globe such that one of the connected computers could have access to any information stored in these computers within the global village. One may also describe the Internet as a tool that connects various types of computers to one another in a way that a computer on the Internet can communicate and share information with other computers in the network of networks, even though there may be no direct physical connection between them.

The Internet is very useful to public school teachers’ especially in Nigeria because it enables them to have access to timely, accurate and relevant information that can be used for their lesson According Owolabi (2007) maintains that the Internet has become the market place for learning and online education. Contributing to this, Ojedokun (2001) points out that the Internet has broken down barriers of communication and information access from any part of the World and that it allows users to have access to information and offers them opportunity to access up-to-date research. Due to the endless nature of information resources on the Internet, schools and libraries are increasingly investing in provision of Internet services and resources to enable their clients have better access to their information.

Furthermore, with the current interest in creating a society of lifelong learners, it is evident that public school teachers (that is, those persons who provide education for pupils) must be able to find, evaluate, and use information that is constantly changing. According to Berkowitz (2002) reports that information and technology skills are the ‘new basics’ and being able to find and use information more effectively is essential to the success of teachers in public school. The Internet brought about a free flow of information all over the globe. One could possibly get access to any kind of information on almost everything.  There have been several important observations on the changes in the way information is accessed since the advent of the Internet. Information on the other hand can be defined as facts, ideas, signs, symbols, pictures and processed data which when received and understood can improve the knowledge state of the receiver in a given situation or phenomenon. The fact is that for information to be useful it must be accessible.

Accessibility is a key aspect of usage and can be refers to the ability to use a product or service effectively. In the internet parlance, internet access is the process that enables individuals to connect to the internet using computers and mobile device. Hicks (2002), concludes that the Internet is a double-edged sword, as students can use it to access any educational database, learn about any country, they can also be subjected to perverse and deviant topics. Once connected user gain access to information. The use of the internet entails the process of utilizing the information resource on the internet. In line with this, Oketunji (2001) asserts that Internet gives us access to a vast wealth of knowledge and access to tools that facilitate research. The Internet offers the opportunity to conduct remote classes, allow access to remote libraries, and create an environment innovative and cooperative learning experiences. Internet has become an important and reliable tool for information retrieval. Once connected to the internet, it is possible to access a wide range of services from around the world. This is so as the advent of internet, teachers and students can work together without physical interaction between each other and achieve the same objectives with that of traditional way of studying.  Teachers exchange ideas and communicate effectively since teaching, learning and research is now made easy with the internet.  

It is pertinent to note that effective teaching is essential for effective learning. The process of teaching has become more complex of late such that computer and internet literacy play significant roles in education. According to Schneider, Evans and Pinard, (2006) opines that in Today world, the Internet can link all online computers so that people can use it to communicate throughout the world. Due to internet illiteracy of some teachers because of the educational level still pride themselves as being internet literate, the fact still remains that some are yet to acclimatize with the internet. In this context the study focused on finding the access and use of internet as a source of information for academic works by public school teachers.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

It has been observed in this contemporary information age that the Internet has increasingly become an invaluable asset in education in terms of learning, teaching and research. Its role in information handling, packaging, storing, retrieving and dissemination is at the root of any meaningful academic enterprise all over the world. The Internet is now prominent in making information and data available to researchers. However, Due to internet illiteracy of some teachers and because of their educational background/level still pride themselves as being internet literate, the fact still remains that some are yet to acclimatize with the internet, In line with this, Kilimci Songül (2010), assert that teachers might find it difficult to use ICT in their classrooms due to the rapid technological development and lack of knowledge/experience of and familiarity with ICT. It is quite regrettable that despite the numerous advantages of internet, most teachers do not know how to search or to get the right information in the course of their academic work. Most often, even to synthesize and analyze the information becomes a nightmare to some teachers. The inability of teachers to overcome these problems automatically makes it impossible to explore the potentials of the Internet. Hence, it becomes imperatives to find out the accessibility and use of Internet as source of information for academic works by public school teachers in Esan-west local Government, Ekpoma, Edo state.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The major objective of this study is the accessibility and use of internet as a source of information for academic works by public school teachers in Ekpoma, Edo State.

The specific objectives for the study are to:

  1. Find out if Public school teachers have access to the internet.
  2. Determine the extent of Internet use by Public school teachers.
  3. Investigate the purpose of using of Internet by Public school teachers for their academic work.
  4. Find out the impact of internet use on public school teachers.
  5. Find out the challenges encountered by public school teachers when using the Internet services for their academic work.

1.4     Research Questions

The following are the research questions which will be address in the study;

  1. How often do public school teachers access the internet to support their academic work?
  2. To what extent do Public school teachers use the Internet?
  3. What is the purpose of using Internet by Public school teachers?
  4. What is the impact of internet use by public school teachers?
  5. What are the challenges encountered using the Internet by Public school teachers for their academic work?

1.5     Scope of Study

This study will be limited to investigating internet as source of information for academic work by public school teachers in ten selected public schools in Ekpoma, Edo state.

1.6     Significant of the Study

This study is expected to enlighten and broaden the knowledge of public school teachers on how effective of using internet as a source of information and incorporating the findings into the teaching process.

The study will also be helpful to school administration, government agencies, ministry of education and policy makers as it will enable them to realize the use of Internet in education and thus work towards reflecting it in their educational policies and programs. Also, it will serve as a framework and guideline to them in establishing effective Internet network and maintain the existing ones to enable the teachers have easily access to the Internet.

Finally, the study will help future researchers’ study as it will go a long way in making them realize the need for further studies in this area and will form a bedrock for further studies. Also this study will add to the existing literature in the field and also serve as a guide for researcher who wishes to carry out further research in related areas.

1.7     Limitation of Study  

It is pertinent to say no research is perfect. Although conscious efforts have been made to ensure that the data collected was valid and findings reliable. Nevertheless, there could be some sources of errors prior to financial and time constraint, and also the literature and tools used in carrying out this research work was not easy to come by.

1.8     Operational Definition of Terms

The under- listed terms are used in the research work in the sense, in which they are defined here under;

Internet: a network of linked computers which are located at different point all over the world to provide easy communication between persons and organizations no matter where they are located.

Internet use: the utilization of the internet.

Web:  a form of a multimedia system of sound, pictures, files, videos for finding information in the internet.

Public school: a school supported by public funds.

Teacher:  a person who provides education for pupils or students. They teach specific area of study.

Information: data, presented in readily comprehensible form to which meaning has been attributed within a context for it uses.

Accessibility: the ability to have or access something in order to use it for one self.

 

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AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SERIAL COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS

AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SERIAL COLLECTIONS BY STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This research work investigated availability and use of serial collections by students in Federal Polytechnic Auchi and Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 100 respondents for the study. Questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. The result of the findings revealed that the serial collections are available in the library. Journals 67(74.4%), newsletter 73(81.1%), magazine 85(94.4%), CD-ROM 90(100%), and yearbook directories 74(82.2%), are most use by respondents. The findings also revealed that the purpose of respondents (students) using serial collections is for examination 90(100%), research 75(83.3%), assignment 61(67.8%), and to get current information 83(92.2%). It was then noted that the challenges faced by students while using serial collections are lack of borrowing facilities in the serial section 80(88.9%), poor attitude of the staff to students 81(90%), inadequate reading facilities in the serial section 90(100%), and power failure/interruption 83(92.2%). In the light of the findings from this study, the researcher concluded that a large percentage of the population were very aware of serials like newspapers, journals and magazines available and makes use of these serials adequately. It was therefore recommended that library management should expedite action on the online data entry because when it is fully accomplished, it will facilitate quick and easy information access in the serials library.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background Of The Study

The basic purpose of an academic library is to provide sufficient information for making informed decisions by users. Academic libraries normally provide for educational needs of students, to support the teaching staff in their teaching role and provide for research activities of both the students and teaching staff. The academic library collections must reflect the subject interests of the institutions. It must also be adequate in terms of quality, quantity and variety. The library does this through useful selection and acquisition of materials for teaching learning and research; process and organization of the materials for easy retrieval: and dissemination of information about the collections and encourages their active exploitation.

Library is an educational tool, which constitutes important components in the infrastructure of knowledge in institution research and teaching, particularly to make information accessible to the students. Library’s operations are divided into various sections, which include; Reference section, Technical section, and Serials section etc. The importance of serial collections to students in institution of higher learning such as the polytechnic cannot be overemphasized particularly in academic and university libraries. This is so, because the library resources provide the users with up-to-date information resources that can assist them in their academic pursuit especially in research and learning.

Meanwhile, serials have historically and presently focused on the provision of current or up-to-date information in general or specific fields of study, this is one of the reasons why according to Woodward (2009) it constitutes a major part of the collection of academic libraries and also accounts for a large sum of the library expenditure, the academic library inclusive. The academic library is an integral part of tertiary institutions and accounts for majority of the information material holdings of a tertiary institution, serving all and sundry especially staff and students of a tertiary institution. To further underline the importance of the academic library to a tertiary institution, Kwampong (2000) stated that the academic library is the heart and aorta of any academic institution, he went further to state that the health and effectiveness of any academic institution depends on the state of health of the library in that academic institution. The academic library therefore, cannot claim to be the determining factor for the state of excellence of its parent body i.e. the institution where it is situated, if it cannot provide the immediate needs of individuals in that institution, which it can only do through the provision of information materials. Immediate needs as the name implies refers to current information gaps that individuals have identified during the course of their activities on a specific field of study, therefore, the academic library is obligated to be current in its holdings so as to fill immediate information gaps as they are discovered. If immediate needs are not meet, the academic library is considered to be inert and moribund which results in an inert and moribund academic institution and automatically low standard of excellence for patrons the academic library serves especially undergraduates.

Apart from books, serials form a vital part of the academic library’s collection for meeting the immediate needs of patrons in its community especially undergraduates for the purpose of this study. Academic libraries acquire, process and make serials available to its patrons who are usually undergraduates through continuous subscription. Serial are usually treated separately in libraries i.e. they are acquired, processed and disseminated separately due to rate of subscription and peculiarity of its nature. The unit responsible for serials management is the serials unit, which was described by Oni (2004) as the unit responsible for serials operations. Osborn (2000) defined serials as a printed work that appears regularly, founded with the expectation of unlimited duration, which is not predominantly concerned with events of the day or else it pays attention only to the latest development in a special field. In addition to this, Harold (2007) describes serials as any publication bearing either chronological or numerical designations issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. The definitions above not only describe serials literature but also underlay the major importance of serials: providing current information. This importance is very essential to the relevance of the academic library to its immediate community and the general population. Kinds of serials include journals, newspapers, newsletters, proceedings, transactions of societies and other periodicals like abstracts and indexes. These types of serials vary in content and interval of appearance. Daily Newspapers constitute the highest rate of issues because of its daily publications, but it doesn’t provide information on specific fields of study, it takes a little of everything in one issue. Unlike journals, that will not be published daily but focuses on the specifics in a field of study. Serials are usually in print formats but with the advent of information technology, serials are not computerized appearing in e-formats.

A brief look at the origin of serials show that, according to Osborn (2000), serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of serials up to the 2000s when serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue. A brief look at the origin of serials show that, according to Osborn (2000), serials can be traced back to the period when annals where written on the tombs of Egyptian kings during the first dynasty. This is no surprise as the growth of papyrus started along the Nile River in Egypt, papyrus being a paper-like material was a major landmark in the history of writing and ultimately the beginning of serials. As time evolved, other notable inventions such as the moveable types by Johannes Gutenberg, typewriters, and of course computers have facilitated the development and use of serials up to the 2000s when serials and the internet were compliments of one another. Undergraduate students are an integral part of the university community. They form the “receiving” members of the university community, while the lecturers and other staff form the “giving” members of the university community. This makes learning the most important issue for undergraduates. As the “receiving” group, undergraduates are expected to use information usually based on specific courses of study for assignments, reports, presentations, seminars, and final year projects, this is encouraged and expected of the undergraduate for excellent performance. The academic library located in the university should be open to undergraduates for the use of its serials, as serials are vital information materials providing the latest in a field of study and suiting the needs of the learning group, which will always have immediate needs. This is supported by Fayose (2005) when he stated that serials are very useful because they are the most up-to-date materials in the library and that articles in serials are written by experts in the field, making them reliable and precise. Although, even with the enormous benefits of serials to the academic performance of undergraduates, it seems undergraduates do not recognize this, or they ignore the benefits they can derive from the use of serials and some cases the few undergraduates who are interested in the use of serials are denied access, a brief look at some findings show this.

The explosion of knowledge and publications of all kinds, conventional or non-conventional, means the universe of materials has grown much larger. One very important set of library materials in the library is serials. A serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition includes periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks directories, etc., journals, and memoirs proceedings, transactions of societies, monographic series, and unnumbered series. The Anglo American Cataloguing Rules (1988) define serial as a ‘continuing resource issued in a succession of discrete parts usually bearing numbering that has no predetermined conclusion for example, print and electronics journal, magazines, continuing directories, annual reports, newspapers and monographic serves’.

This is why authors such as Attama and Ezema (2002) defined serials as publications issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to continued indefinitely. The term thus embraces such materials as periodicals, magazines, annuals which include reports, yearbooks, directories, proceedings, and transactions etc. Serials formed the backbone of research collections as a result academic libraries cannot do without it because of the usefulness to researchers, scholars, and investigators. They see serial collections as sine qua non to the development of research activities in academic environment.

The Library serial collection/material was established to serve the Polytechnic libraries. It coordinates the collections and services of the polytechnic Library. The administration of the Library System is centralized under the polytechnic Librarian. The last years have been a period of rapid growth, with the printed book collection now well stocked. The Library stocks other items as well as current periodical titles. The virtual Library will be available to the polytechnic students and staff online 24/7 via the Internet, regardless of the user’s physical location.

Serials are essential tool of teaching and research in academic endeavor and remain a potential tool for dissemination of knowledge .It is in support of this that Attama and Ezema (2002) stated the importance of serials in academic environment particularly for undergraduate students, which include the followings:

  • Serial provide up –to -date information on any issue than textbooks.
  • It supplies scientific and discoveries and results of latest findings.
  • It makes researchers frequent and current in the frontiers of knowledge.
  • It provides a first hand and detailed information on a particular subject and also it provides empirical evidence on issue being treated.

According to Okiy (2008) the serials constitute an important part of the resources of an academic library because, they provide the latest information on research and current affairs. For this reason, it is necessary for the serials division to be as complete in its holdings as possible in order to support the teaching, learning, recreations and research programmes of the University. The serials collection is made up of both current and backsets of periodicals for lecturers and students to access within the library but cannot be borrowed for home reading. Ogbomo (2000) defines serials as “a publication issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely”. Serials include journals, magazines, bulletins and newsletters, proceedings learned societies and associations etc. they may be published daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly etc the search for information on any subject in an academic library must include the examination of serial publication because they current information about new ideas or discoveries and keep researchers abreast of growth of knowledge in their areas of investigation.

In the selection and acquisition of materials, the serials librarian and collection development librarian work closely with the university librarian. However, the libraries welcome recommendations from patrons and faculty lecturers. Broadus (2001) asserts that Selection must be given due importance because funds are always limited, the available money should be spent wisely to meet the needs of users towards fulfilling the objectives of supporting, teaching, learning and research needs of the University. The serial Liberian should be able to satisfy the patrons by selecting and acquiring their immediate and anticipated needs. Collection management involves managing the use of library collection, its storage, its organisation and making it accessible to users. The process of collection management has become very challenging and complex. As observed by Friend (2000), basic collection management activities include analysis of user needs, inter and intra-library communication, policy development, budgeting and allocation of resources, contract negotiations, macro-evaluations of collection, micro-evaluation for selection, relegation, preservation or withdrawal of stock and system evaluation. So this study intend to find out the availability and use of serial resources by students in tertiary institutions.

Historical Background Of Federal Polytechnic Auchi

Federal Polytechnic Library, Auchi, Edo State is a federal polytechnic library and was established in 1973 by the federal government of Nigeria as a result of federal government efforts to produced technicians, craftsmen, middle and skilled manpower that will help to bring about nation’s economy. The extent law establishing it assigns to the institution the task of producing well trained and highly skilled middle level manpower for the national economy in the areas of engineering technology, science environmental studies, Management studies and Art & Design. The permanent site of the Library is opposite the famous Imo lecture Hall (School of Business). The current building was completed in the year 2000 and commenced services to public in 2001. The Federal Polytechnic Auchi Library has different sections which include: the technical section (acquisition, classifying and cataloguing) circulation section, Administration leaders service, serial section and the andio-visual section. It also has the reprographic section which has different machines for the reproduction of Library materials. The library users the library of congress classification scheme which has mixed notation. The Polytechnic Library stores, a collection of materials relevant to student of the institution teaching and non-teaching staff and people living around Auchi who are carrying out research. Presently, the Library has about 38 staffs.

Delta State Polytechnic Oghara and Federal Polytechnic Auchi libraries are situated at different strategies places in the institutions. Their collection cut-across print and non-print media. They houses information materials in different fields of study namely: engineering, agriculture, computer and information technology, Business Administration etc. These libraries are divided into various units namely collection development unit, technical unit, circulation unit, reference unit, serial unit and audiovisual unit (ICT unit). These units provides different services ranging from current awareness services, research and bibliographic services, bindery services, registration of users, charging and discharging services, reference services all are being set up to meet the information needs of the users etc.

Historical Background Of Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara

Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara was established through a bill that was signed into law by Governor James Onanefe Ibori in November 2002. This is the result of a partnership between the Delta State Ministry of Education and Westminster University, London. The partnership gave birth to the Delta State Higher Education Project (DSHEP).  Located in the agricultural town of Otefe in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara is a manifestation of an excellently conceptualized and articulated vision delivered for the benefit of humanity for entrepreneurial acquisition and advancement. The motto of technology for entrepreneurship underscores the fact of talent and technology skills advancement as tool for critical wealth creation. It therefore explains the role of entrepreneurial and technological skills in creating the abilities, courage, capabilities and managerial competences necessary for economic growth and wealth creation within and beyond Delta State. The mandate of the Polytechnic is to train and empower graduates who will be highly successful professionals armed with all the sufficient skills that are critical to the work place of the 21st century. The aim is to achieve the

  • Status of excellence in computing and information technology (I.T)
  • Qualitative training in specific areas of technology and entrepreneurship as a way of providing opportunity for students to take advantage of their inherent talent and theoretical skills to generate needed entrepreneurial ventures and wealth.
  • Acquisition of entrepreneurship training and technology education, which forms the bedrock for industrialization, growth, development and wealth creation. This in turn will help all Nigerians and the global communities as students create industries and jobs associated with their skills.

The Government of Delta State reached an understanding with the University of Westminster, London to assist in management and technical support for the institutions. The institutions are centres of excellence in Agriculture, Computing and Information Technology, Fashion Design and Arts and Sports. Besides their primary areas of specialization, all students are trained in Computing and Information Technology as well as business and entrepreneurship.

The Otefe-Oghara polytechnic has school that offer National Diplomas in Business Studies (Accountancy, Banking and Finance and Business Administration), Computing and I.T (Computer Science and Statistics) and Engineering (Computer Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering). It also has a School of Preliminary Studies that introduces all students to basic Business Studies and Science Technology.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Students in the polytechnic community are mainly concerned with one major  pre-occupation: learning. Learning in tertiary institutions therefore, goes beyond class lectures or the traditional lecturer-student interaction in class. Students are expected to conduct research for immediate needs such as continuous assignment and assessment test, further reading apart from class notes, presentations and ultimately final year projects which serials are capable of providing information for. However, these students have unlimited access to serials in the academic libraries and even the internet. Researchers have shown that high price of subscription to serials both print and online, budget cuts by polytechnic management, lack of internet access, inadequate basic search skills, ignorance and so on are the major challenges. These challenges in turn bounce back on the students in Nigeria and this seems to be affecting academic performance and overall knowledge standard, this as well escalates to affect the educational standard of the entire nation. The role of academic libraries, open access journals and other sources for current serials is to provide students with immediate information needs. However, there appears to be lack of access to these serials or restriction to their use.

Moreso, in developed countries, use of serial library resources is easy because of it availability nature, but in developing countries like Nigeria, available literature and the researcher’s personal experience have shown a low use of serial resources in library by the students because of the observed inadequacies and lack of knowledge of their availability by the students. It is against this background that this study investigates the availability and use of serials library resources by students in the two polytechnic (Delta State Polytechnic and Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State).

1.3       Objectives of the Study

            Objectives of the study are to:

  1. Identify the types of serial collections available in polytechnic
  2. To find out the extent at which polytechnic students make use of serial collections
  3. Examine the purpose for the use of serial collections by polytechnic students
  4. Identify the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students
  5. Find out probable solutions to the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students

1.4       Research Questions

  1. What are the types of serial collections available for students in polytechnics?
  2. To what extent do polytechnic students use serial collection?
  3. For what purpose do polytechnic students use serial collections?
  4. What are the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students?
  5. What are the solutions to the challenges facing the use of serial collections by polytechnic students?

1.5       Significance of the Study           

The study is essential because it is hoped to provide an insight into availability and use of serial library resources by students in Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara. The study would reveal the effect of non-availability and low usage of serial library resources by students. The recommendations that may be given would be important to our government policy makers at the federal, state and local state levels.

The study will provide lecturers, school authorities and government the dangers and damage of non-availability of serial library resources and it effect on the academic performance or achievement of students. Finally, it shall serve as a veritable source of information on issues of serials library resources, also, school authorities would find the finding of this study useful. They could use them to detect and prevent such symptoms that are likely to head students’ low academic performance in the selected tertiary institutions

1.6       Scope Of The Study

This study is restricted to the availability and use of serial resources by students in Federal Polytechnic Auchi and Delta State polytechnic Oghara Libraries only.

1.7       Limitation Of The Study

The project work of this kind cannot come up without some limitations. The major limitations of the study is finance, limited time at researcher’s disposal, and because of these limitations, this study was only able to select two polytechnics in Edo State. Despite these limitations, due care was taken not to sacrifice quality and in-depth of this study on the iota of time, data and money.

1.8       Operational Definition of Terms

Below is the definition of the contextual use of terms in the study:

Library: A Library is a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.

Serial: A publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and intended to be continued indefinitely.

Serial Collections: This is the action or process of collecting a publication that is issued in successive parts. Examples are periodicals, magazines, journals, newspapers, annual reports, and series. Journal and periodical are terms also used to describe such publications.

Use: An act that brings something into services for a particular purpose.

Availability: This is the quality of being able to be used or obtained.

Periodicals: Periodicals are form of magazines or newspaper published at regular intervals.

Virtual Library: A Virtual Library is a collection of resources available on one or more computer systems, where a single interface or entry point to the collections is provided

Internet: The internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

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A SURVEY OF THE USE OF SMARTPHONE FOR ACADEMIC WORKS

ABSTRACT

Smartphone devices are potential avenues for reviewing instructional materials, an invaluable resource for immediate feedback and other education purposes. This study investigated a survey of the use of Smartphone by students of Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used. From a population of 25,000  students, a sample of 394 students was drawn using Taro Yamene Formula. Questionnaire was used as data collection instrument and data collected was analyzed using frequency count, percentage and mean statistics. The study revealed high level of awareness and use of smartphones by students for their academic works. Result also shows smartphones has made tremendous impact on their education most especially with High Speed Browsing, Saves time and money going to cybercafé/college library, Easy and fast internet access. High risk of radiation when using smartphone, Operational  difficulties, high rate of internet subscription, were identified as the major problems they encountered in using smartphones. The study recommended the need for  management to collaborate with IT companies to develop smartphones capable of supporting their seeking of information which improve students’ academic performance. Furthermore, management should collaborate with network service providers to reduce cost of internet subscription to students that will encourage continues use of smartphone to support their seeking of information.

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THE INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION LITERARY SKILLS ON THE USE OF E-LIBRARY RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of information literacy skills on the use of e-library resources by part-time undergraduate students of Kaduna State University. The population of the study comprised all the 3215 students of the part-time programme. The descriptive survey method was adopted for the study, questionnaire was used for data collection and random sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 200. Out of the 200 copies of questionnaire administered, 167 were retrieved and analysed using simple percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings from the study showed that majority of respondents indicated that E-books (mean=3.44), e-journals (mean=3.43) and electronic database (mean=3.18) are available at the university library. Also, majority of the respondents indicated that they can recognize when there is need for information (mean=3.69) but can neither locate relevant information to satisfy their information needs (mean=1.78), evaluate information sources critically to determine if they are relevant to their information need (mean=1.53) nor use information in an ethical way (mean=2.07). Findings also revealed that majority of the respondents acquire information literacy skills on their own through the use of textbooks (mean=3.12) and on the internet (mean=3.53). Furthermore, it was discovered that the effects of information literacy skills on undergraduate students include ease of access (3.38), ease of use (3.31) and confidence in using e-library resources (3.35). Finally, the challenges faced by majority of the respondents include incessant electric power outage (3.10), lack of ICT and information literacy skills (2.59), limited time given to each user of the e-library (3.44). Recommendations put forward include that universities should adopt and fully implement the information literacy competency standard, that one-on-one instruction on e-library resources and their use be offered in schools.

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AVAILABILITY AND USE OF REFERENCE INFORMATION RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY AND JOHN HARRIS LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to investigate the availability and use of reference information sources by undergraduate students. Also, attempt was made to ascertain the extent of use and benefit of reference information source to the students. Data was collected through the use of questionnaire administered on 102 samples randomly drawn from the Ambrose Alli University and University of Benin. The data were analysed using simple percentage. Findings revealed that prominent reference information sources like encyclopaedia, abstracts, dictionaries, bibliographies, index and almanac are more in these institutions’ libraries. Result showed that a relationship exist between the users of reference information and reference librarians in the library. It was found that the extent of use of reference materials is still relatively low especially among student users. Materials such as government documents, year book, abstract, atlas, maps, and almanac are rarely utilised. Meanwhile, the reference information sources available in the institutions served useful purpose. The respondents highly acknowledge their benefits especially reference materials like bibliographies, index, encyclopaedia, dictionaries, yearbooks and handbooks. Lastly, result showed that there are many problems associated with the use of reference information sources by undergraduate students amongst which are: ignorance or lack of knowledge about library reference service, ill attitude of reference librarians, lack of indigenous materials, lack of funds, and poor power supply. In the light of the above, conclusion was drawn and it was recommended that efforts should be made to acquire specific information sources that the users need but not available in the library.

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USE OF ICTS IN STUDENTS’ RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT

The use of ICTs in the management and safe keeping of students records should become the order of the day as it has many benefits in the academic and university cycle, as it is providing timely access and easy retriever of student information. This study investigated the use of ICTs for students records management in Kaduna State University. A descriptive survey research design was adopted and questionnaire was used for data collection. The sample of the study was drawn from the population through multi-stage sampling whereby five (5) faculties were randomly selected and thereafter a total sample size of 120 questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed using tables, percentages, mean, standard deviation and frequency counts. Findings show that ICTs are available and accessible to records managers as they use it to store students records such as the students results (Summary sheets) 100% and student transcripts (100%). Finally, it was revealed that epileptic power supply (100%) and poor maintenance culture (98%) are the major challenges hindering the use of these ICTs by records managers in the university. It was recommended that the university and governing bodies should provide constant electricity to enable records managers use the available ICTs, it was also recommended that the value of proper maintenance culture be taught in the university.

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