Factors Underlying The Use Of Information Sources In Government Institutions In Nigeria

The study examined the relationships between the use of information sources by civil servants and the characteristics of their work, the organizational environments within which they seek information, and the characteristics of the information sources.;The study was based on a survey of senior civil servants in eleven ministries in seven states of Nigeria. In addition, library managers in eight of the ministries were interviewed and published documents about the ministries were analyzed.;Analyses revealed that civil servants use more information sources for complex work activities than for less complex activities. Also, direct relationships were observed between the use of certain external information sources (especially, consultancy reports and conference/workshop papers), and the complexity of, and the level of user discretion in the activities. However, for internal files, an inverse relationship was found between source use and work complexity and user discretion.;Direct relationships were also found between the use of documentary sources and the availability and adequacy of the sources in the ministries.;The sources most often used by civil servants were those which provide procedural and legal information, and information that enabled civil servants to justify and/or account for official decisions to their superiors. Relationships were also observed between source use and such attributes of civil servants as the number of years of experience in the civil service, and the frequency of attendance at conferences, courses or inter-ministerial meetings.;Finally, the study identified the nature, information requirements and the relative importance of various work activities in the government ministries, and some problems with the provision of library-based documentary information resources to civil servants performing the activities.;The study clearly sheds light on some of the key correlates of source use in government institutions in Nigeria. Such insight is important to further research on the issue, and to information policy initiatives in government ministries in developing countries

Evaluation of the Adoption and Use of Integrated Library Management Software in Selected Private University Libraries in Osun State, Nigeria

University libraries are expected to provide information resources and services to support the teaching and learning process of their institutions. For university libraries to deliver quality services, they are expected to continuously adapt to the changing institutional and global environments and requirements in use of current technologies to manage most or all library activities, particularly use of Integrated Library Systems (ILS). Furthermore, in the university libraries where ILS have been deployed, there is a need to carry out periodic evaluations of the systems. Hence, this study evaluated the adoption and use of integrated library software (ILS) in some selected private university libraries in Osun State, Nigeria. Descriptive and correlational survey research design was adopted. The population comprised undergraduates and library staff of Adeleke University, Fountain University and Redeemers University. The study used Slovin’s formula for calculating sample size of known target population to arrive at 384 as the target sample size of the undergraduates, while total enumeration was used for the sample size of the library staff since the population was small. Questionnaires were used for data collection. The data collected from the field were coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. The findings revealed that majorities of the surveyed students were satisfied with the services provided through the ILS, except at the Adeleke University. Similarly, most of the students found the ILS easy to use and useful, the students except for the students of Adeleke University who were indifferent about the services, due to the fact that they were not using the services provided by ILS. This finding confirms that when selecting or upgrading software in libraries, the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use should be main considerations. Finally, the study identified erratic power supply, lack of enough user education on the use of ILS services, internet network issues, lack of technical know-how, lack of technical facilities, and lack of training and re-training of staff as the major challenges faced by students and staff when using the ILS. It was recommended that the management of Adeleke university library should improve on creating awareness among the library users for them to understand the importance of using the deployed ILS services. It was recommended that system deployment experts should be always consulted in order to configure deployed ILS modules to be user friendl

Attitude of Civil Servants Towards the Use of Research Information in Policymaking in Selected Ministries in Lagos State, Nigeria

Information is very essential in any organization especially in a government based environment where information are needed for policy making. However, some of the instruments used for getting information are not well managed by the civil servants who are the custodian of this research information. This study investigated the attitude of policymakers in terms of the types, availability and accessibility of research information in making policy. Focusing particularly on the types of research information needed by senior civil servants in making policies, frequency of use of research information source, accessibility of information for decision making and the challenges encountered in the course of using them. The descriptive research method was adopted, using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire to gather information from 166 senior civil servants randomly selected from selected ministries in Lagos state, as data collection instrument. Results indicated that information provided by ones ministry, information on project implemented by ones ministry , information on infrastructural development and information on human resources and skills available at ones ministry are the most used information by policymakers in making policy. The study also showed that internal files, colleagues or superior, newspaper, government publication and internet are the most frequently used and accessible information sources for policymaking. Impracticability of research recommendation politically and financially, too much information to absorb and contradictions in information from different researchers are the major constraints to research output. The study recommended among other suggestions that policymakers must consider wider ranges of research information sources for effective policy making

Information Use Behaviour of Sedentary Livestock Farmers in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Information is important for all human activities and represents a fundamental input in knowledge creation. Just like in any other human activity, relevant, accurate, and timely information is critical to the success of livestock production and marketing. This study examined the information use behaviors of sedentary livestock farmers in Egbeda Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria, specifically, the farmers’ perceived knowledge on livestock production, marketing information needs, attitude to, and preferred information sources, information seeking activities, and challenges faced when seeking for information. The descriptive survey design was used. Data were collected, using a questionnaire, from 155 sedentary livestock farmers; who were surveyed using the enumeration method. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman Correlation. Findings revealed that highly needed information are information on the livestock market, disease and pest control, information on nutrition and feeds, pesticide, best agriculture practices, and marketing strategy. Television and radio were the most preferred information sources, while extension officers are the least preferred. The farmers used information sources that are easy to use, easily accessible, and trusted. Information obtained and used by the farmers was mostly in respect of pest and disease control, and least in sourcing for labor. Information use was positively and significantly related to farm size, but not with farmers’ gender, age, marital status, family size, farming experience, academic qualification, and farm management type. It is recommended that the activities of extension officers among sedentary livestock farmers should be increased and improved. Also, accessing information by farmers from extension officers should be made easier