Awareness and Usage of Social Networking Sites by Students of Library and Information Science: The Case of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Nigeria

The study aimed at examining the awareness and use of social networking sites by the students of Library and Information Science in Federal Polytechnic, Offa. Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted with the use of questionnaire as instrument for data collection. Out of two hundred and forty copies of the questionnaire, administered, two hundred and twenty eight were retrieved which represented 95%. Frequency counts and percentages were used to analyse data generated. The study revealed that majority of the respondents use social networking site to a large extent, especially facebook and they use if for various purposes such as connecting with friends, for academic work and so on. The study confirmed that many of the respondents spend up to an hour or more to visit their social networking sites. Many of the respondents also use the sites several times in a day. The social networking sites enable the users to maintain contact with friends and also increase academic knowledge. However, some students reported that engaging in social networking reduces the time they spend on reading and also cause distractions in classroom. The study recommends among others that, students should minimize time spend on social networking and they should make meaningful use of the sites. Keywords: Social networking sites, social networks, internet, polytechnic students, Nigeria

Students’ Perceptions of Entrepreneurship Education in Selected Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria

Entrepreneurship education is introduced in the polytechnics to provide students with basic skills and knowledge to be self-reliant after graduation. This study investigates the perception of polytechnic students towards entrepreneurship education. A descriptive study was conducted in three purposively selected Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria A structured questionnaire that employed 4-likert scale was the instrument used for data collection. A total number of 475 copies of questionnaire were administered to students who were randomly selected for the study. Frequency, percentages and mean aided by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for the analysis. This study reveals that significant number of students positively perceived entrepreneurship education in polytechnics. It was however recommended that the stakeholders should give more support towards the realization of the objectives of the programme. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, polytechnic students, perception. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-10-15 Publication date: April 30th 202

An Investigation into Health Information Environment of Market Women in Offa, Kwara State Nigeria

The study examined the health information environment of market women in Offa, a semi-urban area in Kwara State of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to identify the information needs of market women, to investigate the information sources, information seeking behaviour and the challenges associated with the use of information sources. Data was collected through a questionnaire. The return rate of the questionnaire administered was 93.5 percent. The findings revealed that the market women have diverse health information needs which include among others malaria fever, hygiene, anti-natal/post-natal care. The main sources of health information used by the market women include family / neighbours and radio. The study made recommendations such as the state government supporting the state library board. The public library should also assist to provide unlimited access to information through the audio-visual materials. Keywords: Health information environment, market women, Offa Metropoli

A STUDY ON HEALTH INFORMATION NEEDS, INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AND INFORMATION SOURCES OF MARKET WOMEN IN OFFA METROPOLIS, KWARA STATE

This study investigated health information needs, information seeking behaviour and information sources of market women in Offa metropolis, Kwara State.  The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population was drawn from nine (9) different trades among market women in Owode and Oja ale Market in Offa local government with a total population of 1080. The study adopted simple random sampling techniques from which a sample size of 324 market women was drawn using the 30% of the population. The major instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. A total of 324 copies of questionnaires were sent out, from which 300 copies were returned and found to be valid and fit for analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive frequency table with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established among others that the major health information need of market women are on malaria, body pains, cholera, cold and cough; market women source information mostly from friends and family, nurses, and people with similar illness. The study concluded that market women needed various health information but sort to cure themselves using old therapies known to them without recourse to the evolution of the illness. The study recommends that government should establish agencies that will regularly visit market places to attend to different health information needs of market women; libraries should create awareness on their information materials; price of consultation and treatments should be subsidized among others

THE ROLE OF ICT IN PROVISION OF LIBRARY SERVICES: A PANACEA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

This paper is an attempt to explore the crucial roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in management and provision of library services, and its implication to sustainable development in Nigeria. Despite the availability of wide opportunities offered by the advent of ICT, it has been observed that application of ICT to library services in Nigeria seems inadequate probably due to variety of challenges. With the methodology of simple literature review, the paper made effort to review related literature on ICT resources and ICT-based services in libraries, benefits of ICT and the role of library in sustainable development of Nigeria. The paper further identified the challenges of ICT application in libraries. It was recommended among others that, there should be improvement in the capacity and level of ICT adoption by libraries

ADOPTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR EFFECTIVE LIBRARY SERVICE DELIVERY IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN NIGERIA

Due to the growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in developed countries, this paper looks at the adoption of artificial intelligence for effective library services in academic libraries in Nigeria. The paper describes the concept of artificial intelligence while tracing its origin. It further established the advantage of adopting artificial intelligence in academic libraries which include user-friendly, infinite functions, ability to take complex work among others; and the challenges faced by library management towards the adoption of artificial intelligence which include financial uncertainty, job loss, technological disadvantages among others. The paper concluded that the adoption of AI in academic libraries is setting a new level of efficient and effective library service delivery but the adoption in developing countries such as Nigeria is low due to some of the identified challenges. The paper recommended that government and library management must come together to proffer the way forward for academic libraries in terms of meeting up with the latest standard of the use of AI in libraries; Library staff should be exposed to training and retraining in the use of artificial intelligence in delivering of libraries’ services; among others

THE ROLE OF ICT IN PROVISION OF LIBRARY SERVICES: A PANACEA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

This paper is an attempt to explore the crucial roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in management and provision of library services, and its implication to sustainable development in Nigeria. Despite the availability of wide opportunities offered by the advent of ICT, it has been observed that application of ICT to library services in Nigeria seems inadequate probably due to variety of challenges. With the methodology of simple literature review, the paper made effort to review related literature on ICT resources and ICT-based services in libraries, benefits of ICT and the role of library in sustainable development of Nigeria. The paper further identified the challenges of ICT application in libraries. It was recommended among others that, there should be improvement in the capacity and level of ICT adoption by libraries