Assessing the Information Literacy Skills Among Undergraduate Students at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana

Information literacy skills have become a topical issue in the academic lives of university students. It is a skill needed to be able to identify an information need, knowing the sources of information, effectively searching for information and ethically using information in this era of the information age. Various studies have observed that university students lack the basic skills needed to make them effectively search for academic information and how to apply them. This situation, if not checked, would negatively affect the academic lives of students. This paper, therefore, sought to examine the level of information literacy skills among incoming first-year undergraduate students of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa so as to suggest ways of improving upon them. The level of information literacy skill, possession of basic information and communication technology (ICT) skills, awareness of various search strategies were examined by analyzing responses obtained from the administration of the questionnaire. It was found out that the majority of the students possessed basic ICT skills, however, their knowledge of various search strategies was low. Again, there was no course designed to introduce them to the acquisition of information retrieval skills. Various ways of improving information literacy skills among students have also been suggested

Assessing the Information Literacy Skills Among Undergraduate Students at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana

Information literacy skills have become a topical issue in the academic lives of university students. It is a skill needed to be able to identify an information need, knowing the sources of information, effectively searching for information and ethically using information in this era of the information age. Various studies have observed that university students lack the basic skills needed to make them effectively search for academic information and how to apply them. This situation, if not checked, would negatively affect the academic lives of students. This paper, therefore, sought to examine the level of information literacy skills among incoming first-year undergraduate students of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa so as to suggest ways of improving upon them. The level of information literacy skill, possession of basic information and communication technology (ICT) skills, awareness of various search strategies were examined by analyzing responses obtained from the administration of the questionnaire. It was found out that the majority of the students possessed basic ICT skills, however, their knowledge of various search strategies was low. Again, there was no course designed to introduce them to the acquisition of information retrieval skills. Various ways of improving information literacy skills among students have also been suggested

An assessment of the Ghana Library Authority In-Service Training for Junior Library Assistants

This study assessed the operation and impact of staff performance and service delivery of the In-service training programme for Junior Library Assistants of the Ghana Library Authority. The ever increasing growth in the volume of publications in all fields of knowledge coupled with the advent of information and communication technologies in libraries has widened the scope of library services. There is therefore the need for public libraries to train their staff in order to perform effectively and efficiently. The survey method was used and data was collected using open and closed ended questionnaires and interviews. In all, 80 questionnaires were administered to 47 staff and 33 ex-workers of the Ghana Library Authority. The findings showed that most Junior Library Staff of the Authority lack basic skills in library routine work and this could be attributed to the suspension of the GLA In-service training programme. The study also revealed that the bulk of the Junior Staff at the GLA had qualifications ranging from GCE O’ level and SSSCE to Diploma. The study further revealed that the suspension of the programme was as a result of several factors such as the absence of a Board, training budget and a non-functioning training department. The study recommended among other things the resumption of the In-service training programme to enable all untrained Junior Library Staff receive training

Assessment of New Academic Programmes at the University of Ghana and Their Implication on Library Services: Case Study

The study focused on the implication of the introduction of new academic programs on the resources of Balme Library in the University of Ghana, Legon. The case study methodology was used with a study population of 47 staff constituting both senior members and senior staff of Balme Library and the Director of Academic Affairs respectively. Data collection instruments used were questionnaire and interview. The responses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The study revealed that the Balme Library was not consulted or involved during the introduction of new academic programs. In addition, student enrolment was increasing every year due to the introduction of new academic courses as well as general increased in access to tertiary education, but there was no corresponding increase in resources like staff, materials, and space at the Balme Library. Also, special funds are not allocated to the Balme Library to support the introduction of new academic courses. In order to improve the service and resource base of Balme Library to support the introduction of new academic programmes it was recommended that the University of Ghana should consider establishing a virtual library, increase staff strength, expand physical infrastructure, seek alternative source of funding and ensure collaboration between the Balme Library with satellite libraries on campus to ensure quality academic output