Information literacy skills among the postgraduate students at Aligarh Muslim University, India

The purpose of this study is to examine the information literacy regarding the library resources among the postgraduate students at Aligarh Muslim University, and to know their basic needs of information and information search strategies in the library as well as in web based resources. The present study selects the descriptive survey method and covers 329 postgraduate students of five selected faculties e.g. Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Social Science at AMU. The questionnaire discusses their information searching strategies on OPAC, their search engine preference, awareness of e-resources, level of information literacy skill, needs of information literacy skill etc. The paper reveals that most of the students are aware of the information sources which are available in the library. “Google” is the most popular search engine to the students. Through this study, the investigators find that there are some valuable suggestions which are made by the users according to their need to improve their information literacy skill such as motivational lectures, workshops, conferences, symposium, project based learning, and online literacy programme. This study may be considered as a unique one which brings out the current status of information literacy skills among the PG students at AMU. It will help recognize the librarian and teachers to instruct students as to where to search the source of information and how to evaluate information to meet their information needs

Information literacy skills among the postgraduate students at Aligarh Muslim University, India

The purpose of this study is to examine the information literacy regarding the library resources among the postgraduate students at Aligarh Muslim University, and to know their basic needs of information and information search strategies in the library as well as in web based resources. The present study selects the descriptive survey method and covers 329 postgraduate students of five selected faculties e.g. Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Social Science at AMU. The questionnaire discusses their information searching strategies on OPAC, their search engine preference, awareness of e-resources, level of information literacy skill, needs of information literacy skill etc. The paper reveals that most of the students are aware of the information sources which are available in the library. “Google” is the most popular search engine to the students. Through this study, the investigators find that there are some valuable suggestions which are made by the users according to their need to improve their information literacy skill such as motivational lectures, workshops, conferences, symposium, project based learning, and online literacy programme. This study may be considered as a unique one which brings out the current status of information literacy skills among the PG students at AMU. It will help recognize the librarian and teachers to instruct students as to where to search the source of information and how to evaluate information to meet their information needs

HEALTH INFORMATION SEARCH ENGINE THE NEW TOOLS OF HEALTH LITERACY

Introduction: Access to Health Information is very essential for promoting health literacy, self-care, shared decision making, medication adherence. The Internet is one of the main resources of health information. Many studies showed the main gateway for seeking health information was search engines. But finding qualified health information is a challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to introduce top health Searches engines and review their features. Methods: According to the literature review, 10 health Searches engines were selected. Common features of each search engine, such as the ability to create profiles, the type of health information provided, target users, health information sources contained in the search engine, and the unique feature and other features, were reviewed and the comparison table was provided. A common search scenario was also tested on all search engines and the result of the data retrieval was reported by the search engine. Results: health Searches engine like that PubMed، Med scape، McGraw-Hill Medical، iMediSearch، medicin.net, Hardin.Md، Health line ، EMedicine، Merck and Ovid were chosen and reported. Conclusion: The results of this study can help users such as patient to choose a valid health searches engine and also help them to find health searches engine appropriate for their health problem and know what features in health website is important

Digital Literacy Skills among the Students of the University of Jammu: A Case Study

The paper highlights the importance and effectiveness of digital literacy skills among the students of the University of Jammu. In today’s technological age the students must develop digital literacy skills. This study used a purposive online survey of the students at the University of Jammu. Google form was used to design the questionnaire. The results of the study show that majority of respondents at the University of Jammu were female and were between 23 and 26 years of age group. The analysis of the study shows majority 85.24% of respondents know the concept of digital literacy. In the current digital environment, it was found that the maximum number of respondents prefer internet websites to find information as it is the easy, flexible, and affordable way to find the information. 62.88% of respondents prefer the google search engine as compared to other search engines

Digital literacy among Female Postgraduate students of Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India: A study

Digital literacy is the ability of an individual to locate, organize, evaluate, analyze and use the required information using digital technologies. It includes a working knowledge of several technologies and understanding of how it can be used. The main objective of the study was to determine the literacy of using digital resources by Female Postgraduate students of Karnatak University, Dharwad. The present study also determines the student’s level of ICT skills, frequency of internet use by the respondents, ascertain their awareness about different databases and their familiarity with various search strategies to retrieve E-resources. The study also highlights the problems faced by students in accessing information. The major findings of the study highlight that Google search engine is the most preferred search engine, the majority of the respondents i.e. 53 (68.83%) are aware of Google scholar followed by Research gate, Twitter, Slideshare, Academic.edu. and LinkedIn, SciSpace, Research ID are least used among the academic social networking sites. It is also found that there is a lack of awareness among students regarding the use of various search strategies for efficient information retrieval and only 43 (55.84%) respondents have awareness of copyrights issues. The study also highlights the problems faced by the respondents such as poor network connectivity, access restricted by the university, which curtail the prospects of effective use of digital information resources

A Review of the impact of the health literacy status of patients on health outcomes.

Background: Providing quality health information is at the core of health service provision. Patients need access to impartial and high quality health information to make informed decisions on health matters. Poor health information can prevent people from making effective choices. Besides, lack of health information can be damaging for patients, their relatives, health professionals and the entire society. The objective of this review is to examine the extent and impact of low health literacy among patients by focusing on its health, economic and social impacts; it will also discuss the implications for health service providers and other stake holders by focusing on strategies that will help improve patients' health literacy status so that they can achieve good clinical outcomes.Methods: A search of some standard books and relevant articles on health literacy among patients and its implications for health service providers was done using the Google and Yahoo search engine as well as EMBASE and OVID MEDLINE data bases. Keywords employed were low health literacy, healthcare impact and health outcomes.Results: The Health literacy statistics report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2004) shows that nearly half the United States of America population has difficulty understanding and using health information.Conclusion: Low health literacy incurs significant costs to society, investing in health literacy will improve population health outcomes and reduce health care costs.Key words: Low health literacy, healthcare impact, health outcomes

Suchmaschinenkompetenz als Teil von Informationskompetenz : Entwicklung eines Grobkonzepts für Nutzerschulungen in Öffentlichen Bibliotheken

Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit hat die Entwicklung eines Veranstaltungskonzepts zum Ziel, welches zur Vermittlung von Suchmaschinenkompetenz an Nutzer Öffentlicher Bibliotheken verwendet werden kann. Ausgangsbasis dafür ist die Annahme, dass Suchmaschinenkompetenz als Teil von Informationskompetenz zu sehen ist und somit ins Aufgabenspektrum Öffentlicher Bibliotheken fällt. Im Verlauf der Arbeit wird Klingenbergs Referenzrahmen Informationskompetenz vorgestellt und Suchmaschinenkompetenz in selbigem verortet. Neben Theorie zur Schulungskonzeption werden suchmaschinentechnische Grundlagen erörtert, die zur Vermittlung von Suchmaschinenkompetenz vonnöten sind. Das Schulungsgrobkonzept umfasst drei Schulungen auf dem Referenzrahmen Informationskompetenz entnommenen Niveaustufen: A, B2 und C1, also Viertklässler, Zehntklässler und Erwachsene. Das Grobkonzept ist universell gestaltet und kann auch von kleinen Öffentlichen Bibliotheken mit geringem Veranstaltungsetat umgesetzt werden.The objective of this bachelor thesis is to develop an event concept that may be used for coaching users of public libraries to obtain proficiency in utilising search engines. Basis for this is the assumption that search engine literacy can be seen as part of information literacy and thus falls into the scope of public libraries. This dissertation will introduce the reader into Klingenberg’s Reference Frame for Information Literacy and will explain how search engine literacy is based on it. In addition to the theory of the training concept, the technological ba-sics of search engines needed for teaching search engine literacy will be discussed. The rough training concept comprises three trainings on levels deriving from the Reference Fra-me for Information Literacy: A, B2 and C1, meaning fourth graders, tenth graders and adults. The rough concept was designed universally and hence may also be implemented by small public libraries with a low event budget

INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS IN THE USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AMONG RESEARCH SCHOLARS OF ALAGAPPA UNIVERSITY KARAIKUDI: A STUDY

The study aimed to finding the use Information literacy skills in the use of electronic resources among Research scholars in Alagappa University, Karaikudi. 100 questionnaires were distributed to the research scholars of Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Out of 100 questionnaires distributed, 89 were returned with full particulars. 58.43% were female, 28.57% of the respondents belong to the age group of 29-34, 32.58% respondents Using E-Resources of project work, 24.71 % respondents belong to the using the e-resource E-Journals, 40.44% respondents belong to the using the e-resource daily, 33.70% of the respondents Simple key, 40.44% Copy/ Paste function if available online, 43.82% of the respondents Using search engine, 41.57% of the respondent search terms By title, 38.20% of the respondents The department should immediately start information literacy program

INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS IN THE USE OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AMONG RESEARCH SCHOLARS OF ALAGAPPA UNIVERSITY KARAIKUDI: A STUDY

The study aimed to finding the use Information literacy skills in the use of electronic resources among Research scholars in Alagappa University, Karaikudi. 100 questionnaires were distributed to the research scholars of Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Out of 100 questionnaires distributed, 89 were returned with full particulars. 58.43% were female, 28.57% of the respondents belong to the age group of 29-34, 32.58% respondents Using E-Resources of project work, 24.71 % respondents belong to the using the e-resource E-Journals, 40.44% respondents belong to the using the e-resource daily, 33.70% of the respondents Simple key, 40.44% Copy/ Paste function if available online, 43.82% of the respondents Using search engine, 41.57% of the respondent search terms By title, 38.20% of the respondents The department should immediately start information literacy program

Beyond Simple, Easy, and Fast

The authors present their experiences implementing Summon, a web-based search engine similar to Google produced by the software company Serial Solutions, at Bowling Green State (BGSU) University Libraries (UL). The authors discuss using the teaching method of reflection, described by Char Booth in the book Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators, to train librarians, students, and faculty to use the software. The authors describe personal and group instruction, training undergraduates to use Summon for research, and alternative search tools such as the EBSCO Publishing database