Perception and attitude of postgraduate students of Library and Information Science towards scholarly publications in Nigeria

The paper investigated the perception and attitude of postgraduate (PG) students of Library and Information Science (LIS) towards scholarly publications in Nigeria. The study is a survey research anchored on the post-positivism research paradigm. The research employed the use of questionnaire and interview in order to allow for effective triangulation of the research findings. Purposive sampling was used to select five universities accredited to run both Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Library and Information Science by National University Commissions. The population of the study is fifty which comprises of ten postgraduate students from each of the five purposively selected universities. The findings of the study revealed that LIS postgraduate students are aware of scholarly publications and their attitude toward publishing from their research works is regarded as very good policy. In addition, journal is the most used channel in which they make their research findings known to the academic communities. Inadequate mentoring opportunity is a challenge facing the LIS graduate students in developing interest in scholarly publications. Based on the findings of the study, there is a need for the university managements through the postgraduate schools to create enabling environments that will promote research and innovation in Nigerian universities. Qualified lecturers should be employed to handle research aspects of LIS PG curriculum. Keywords: perception, attitude. postgraduate students, Library and Information Science, scholarly publications, Nigeria

Utilisation of Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) among students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

The paper investigated the utilisation of Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) among students of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The study, underpinned by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), adopted a survey design, and questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The population of the study comprised of 343 part three students of the university. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents for the study. The findings revealed that the students do use OPAC resources to locate library materials and the resources are mainly used to locate library materials. Social influence and facilitating condition are the two constructs of UTAUT that influenced the behavioural intention of the students to use the tool. The study also highlighted that most of the students use the OPAC twice a week and mostly within the walls of the library. The challenge that more often affect the use of OPAC was reported to be inadequate access to internet connectivity. The study recommended, among others, that the use of OPAC should be included in the curriculum of the use of library  course, and that an OPAC manual should be made available for every student in the university during the orientation programmes. The study contributes to knowledge in the area of social informatics. Key Words: Online Public Access Catalogue, OPAC, Students, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeri