Public Access to Legal Resources on the Internet

In the not so distant past, before the Internet, doing legal research necessitated access to either a substantial law collection or one of the expensive legal databases, Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw. That limited legal reference to law librarians, some special librarians and reference librarians at large university or public libraries. The Internet has changed all of that, giving any library with an Internet connection access to a wealth of current law, especially at the state and federal level. Based on a presentation at the Joint Conference of the Georgia Council of Media Organizations and Southeastern Library Association on October 12, 2000

Use of Electronic Information Resources by Postgraduate Students of Faculty of Education in Imo State University, Owerri Library

The study examined the use of electronic information resources by postgraduate students of Faculty of Education in Imo State University, Owerri Library. Four research questions guided the study. Survey research design was adopted in carrying out this study. The population of the study is 181 postgraduate students of Faculty of Education in Imo State University, Owerri. The sample for the study was 181 postgraduate students. Using census sampling technique, the entire population was adopted as sample for the study. Online questionnaire was used to collect data for this study and was rated using the four-point scale. A total of 135 respondents participated in filling out the questionnaire showing 74.6% return rate. Data collected for the study was analysed using frequency and mean. The findings of the study revealed that e-journals, e-books, e-newspapers, e-conference proceedings, Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), CD-ROM databases, e-magazines, electronic databases, online databases, e-theses and dissertations and Internet resources are the types of electronic information resources available for use by postgraduate students in the library studied; postgraduate students use electronic information resources to a low extent in the library studied; access to a wider range of information, faster access to authoritative and reliable information, access to current and up-to-date information, provision of unlimited access to information, hyperlinks to other resources and ease in sharing and duplicating are the benefits derived from using electronic information resources by postgraduate students in the library studied and inadequate funds, poor internet connectivity, lack of ICT skills/knowledge, limited subscribed titles, inadequate power supply, irrelevant EIR in various disciplines, inadequate ICT infrastructure and lack of staff orientation and training are constraints to effective use of electronic information resources by postgraduate students in the library studied. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends among others that university library should sustain the provision of electronic information resources to ensure continuous availability in the library

ICT Competence and Use of Digital Library by Post Graduate Students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the relationship between ICT competence and the use of digital library by postgraduate students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study adopted a Correlation design. The population of the study comprised 1800 postgraduates in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 210 Postgraduates. Four specific objectives, four research questions and four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A structured questionnaire was designed for data collection. Simple Linear Regression was used to answer the research questions and test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The result obtained revealed a significant relationship between internet browsing competence and use of digital library, the strength of relationship was (R = .841); Electronic Database competence and use of digital library, the strength of relationship was (R = .713); Social media (LinkedIn & Pinterest) competence and use of digital library, the strength of relationship was (R = .890); and content sharing competence and use of digital library the strength of relationship was (R = .820). From the findings, the study concluded that there is a significant relationship between ICT competence and the use of digital library among postgraduate students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study recommends among others that effective steps should be taken to encourage the postgraduate students to utilize the electronic databases so that the huge sum invested in subscribing for these databases will not be a waste. It was further recommended that library management should organise a training workshop on the importance of electronic databases, its uses and how to filter search by keywords. IAUE Digital library should lecture users on the importance of information sharing, through the use of Pinterest, LinkedIn and content sharing as they are the heavy hitter of information promulgation

Strategies Used by Librarians in Marketing Information Resources and Library Services in Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Imo State University, Owerri

The study focused on strategies used by librarians in marketing information resources and library services in Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Imo State University, Owerri. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study is 62 librarians from the university libraries studied which was also used as sample for the study. The instrument used for data collection was an online questionnaire rated using the four-point scale. Out of 62 copies of instrument distributed, 51 copies were returned showing 82.3% return rate. Data collected were analyzed using mean (x) scores. The findings of the study revealed among others that; journals, books, newspapers, conference proceedings, e-books, e-journals, e-newspapers, electronic databases, CD-ROM databases, e-theses and dissertations and internet resources are the information resources available for marketing in the university libraries studied; reference services, circulation services, abstracting and indexing services, Current Awareness Services, Selective Dissemination of Information, referral services, inter-library cooperation, internet services, document delivery services and consultancy services are the library services available for marketing in the university libraries studied and strategies used for marketing library services and information resources are exhibitions and display of new arrivals, user orientation programmes, flyers and posters, social media, face to face interaction with the user community, institutional websites, library notice board, Current Awareness Services, conferences, seminars and workshops and Selective Dissemination of Information. The researchers recommended among others that for effective marketing of information resources, university library management should ensure that there are relevant, quality and current information resources in the library

Identifying Contextual Challenges and Modifying Traditional Methods of Library Instruction in Private University in Nigeria

The pilot study investigated the integration of information communication and technology (ICT) with library instruction in Clifford University Owerrinta, Abia State, Nigeria. The emergence of ICT as a tool for teaching and learning and its acceptance in all human endeavours has increased the need for the modification of the methods that are currently been used in the delivery of library instruction in most universities in Nigeria. The study was a pre and post type using a total enumeration method with a population of 124 first year students of 2016/2017 academic session. Two instruments were developed and validated by two professors in the field of Library and Information Science from the Imo State University, Owerri with a reliability result of 0.82 and 0.84 respectively using Cronbach alpha procedure. The instruments were administered face-to-face on the same respondents who registered for Library Instruction course in the first and second semesters with 100% participation. The finding revealed that a modification on the current traditional methods of library instruction adopted in some Nigeria universities for an inclusive method adjoining ICTs would have a positive effect on the students’ academic career. It showed a significant improvement in the use of ICT tools and facilities in research among the respondents. Findings showed a major improvement by integrating ICT with library instruction among the respondents in searching for information on the Internet, e-databases and OPAC; retrieving and downloading of information from the Internet, and preparation of presentations using MS Power-point. Findings further revealed inadequate ICT facilities in the library and lack of personal ICT tools for students such as laptops as major setbacks for integrating ICT with library instruction. The study recommended a full integration of ICT-based courses with library instruction and provision of ICT tools such as projector, interactive board, computers, laptops and good Internet connection as a means of achieving result-oriented approach of library instruction programme in Nigerian universities

International Legal Collections at U.S. Academic Law School Libraries

This study examines how law librarians are participating in the process of creating new fields of international legal research and training. It investigates the current state of international legal collections at twelve public and private U.S. academic law school libraries, illuminating in the process some of the significant shifts that characterize the nature of professional librarianship and information science in the twenty-first century. Included in the study is a discussion of the reference works, research guides, and databases that make up these international legal collections. This is followed by a brief assessment of the trends and challenges that librarians face who work in the field of professional legal education and scholarship

Public Libraries and the Internet 2006

Examines the capability of public libraries to provide and sustain public access Internet services and resources that meet community needs, including serving as the first choice for content, resources, services, and technology infrastructure

Library application of Deep Web and Dark Web technologies

The Deep Web and Dark Web are legitimate tools for use in the field of information science, adding to the discussion of patron privacy. The American Library Association policies on privacy and confidentiality combined with the advancement of internet technology necessitate that library professionals become fluent in Dark Web usability in libraries

The Effects of Electronic Access to Scientific Literature in the Consortium of Turkish University Libraries

Purpose: To provide some insight to the sharp increase in the scientific publications originating from Turkish academic and research institutions in the last few years. The underlying reasons, widespread access to literature through electronic databases being the most important, are also investigated. Design/methodology/approach: Although it is difficult to gauge national scientific productivity, number of publications in electronic databases which index thousands of scientific journals can give an idea. Web of Science is one of them, and it is provided to the Turkish academic community along with several other databases by the national library consortium. Based on the Web of Science data, a comparative analysis was performed to investigate publications originated from Turkey and other countries. Findings: The analysis revealed sharp increase in publications from Turkish institutions in the last few years. Considering the highest publishing 30 countries out of 190, the increase between 2001 and 2003 is 53.48 percent for Turkey, followed by 34.00 percent for China and 26.87 percent for South Korea. Research limitations: Although one of the largest, only one of several databases was analyzed. Additionally, there are also several other indicators of scientific productivity such as books published and citations received. Originality and value of the paper: The paper provides some insight to the importance of library consortia and efficient literature access it provides to the researchers

Evaluation of Use of Consortium of e-Resources in Agriculture in Context of Kerala Agricultural University

As digital information resources available online are increasing at an exponential rate, several practices have evolved for the economic and effective delivery of such information to the end users. In this context, consortia-based information services have gathered momentum world over during the last few years. Though, there are several library consortia in India, UGC Infonet is mainly meant for universities controlled by UGC and CeRA is meant for agricultural universities. This paper discusses utilisation of consortia-based digital information resources by the post graduate and doctoral students of the Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. Results show that cent percent of the students were familiar with the use of digital information resources available online and 87.14 per cent of them used CeRA. Eighty two per cent students were acquainted with CeRA and learned the required skills for the access and use of digital information resources through curriculum-based courses like ‘library and information services’, ‘research methodology’, etc. The students in general would like to strengthen the CeRA services by adding more resources and facilities